Nickel-cysteine nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization and application for direct electron transfer studies

Area of Science:

• * Materials Science
• * Nanotechnology
• * Electrochemistry

Background:

• * Development of novel nanostructures for biosensing applications.
• * Need for biocompatible platforms for enzyme immobilization.
• * Potential of nickel-cysteine interactions in nanomaterial synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To synthesize and characterize nickel-cysteine nanostructures (Ni-CysNSs).
• * To investigate the suitability of Ni-CysNSs as a platform for enzyme immobilization in biosensors.
• * To evaluate the electrochemical and sensing performance of enzyme-modified electrodes.

Main Methods:

• * Wet chemistry synthesis of Ni-CysNSs using nickel chloride and l-cysteine.
• * Characterization using XRD, FT-IR, elemental analysis, FESEM, and TEM.
• * Immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) onto Ni-CysNSs/glassy carbon electrode.
• * Electrochemical analysis using cyclic voltammetry.

Main Results:

• * Successful synthesis of Ni-CysNSs with free carboxylic groups on the surface.
• * Enhanced direct electron transfer between immobilized GOx and the electrode.
• * Preservation of GOx native structure and catalytic activity after immobilization.
• * Acceptable electrical and sensing performance of the Ni-CysNSs/GOx biosensor for glucose oxidation.

Conclusions:

• * Ni-CysNSs can be prepared via a facile and mild wet chemistry route.
• * The nanostructures provide a biocompatible platform for enzyme immobilization.
• * The developed biosensor exhibits promising performance for glucose detection.