A Low-Cost Paper Glucose Sensor with Molecularly Imprinted Polyaniline Electrode

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Millions of diabetic patients rely on glucose test strips for blood glucose monitoring.
• Current commercial test strips utilize costly and less durable glucose oxidase enzymes.
• There is a need for affordable and robust glucose sensing technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective, non-enzymatic glucose sensor.
• To integrate molecularly imprinted polymers for glucose recognition.
• To validate the sensor's performance in blood samples.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a paper-based electrical sensor with a conductive polymer sensing electrode.
• Integration of molecularly imprinted sites for specific glucose recognition.
• Testing and calibration of the sensor using aqueous solutions and bovine blood samples.

Main Results:

• The sensor demonstrated accurate glucose determination in aqueous solutions with R² = 0.989.
• Linear correlation (R² = 0.984) was achieved for glucose concentrations from 2.2 to 11.1 mM in bovine blood.
• The non-enzymatic approach avoids issues associated with enzyme degradation.

Conclusions:

• The developed paper-based electrical sensor offers a promising non-enzymatic method for glucose detection.
• This technology has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of glucose monitoring.
• Increased accessibility of affordable glucose test strips for underserved populations is a key outcome.