High performance of ethanol colorimetric biosensor using core-shell biocomposite

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Accurate ethanol detection is crucial for quality control, safety, and certification across various industries.
• Existing methods may lack the speed, selectivity, or reliability required for certain applications.
• Development of advanced biosensors is needed to meet these detection demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel colorimetric biosensor for rapid and selective ethanol detection.
• To utilize an alcohol oxidase (AOx) enzyme immobilized on a silver-silica core-shell (Ag@SiO₂) nanostructure.
• To evaluate the biosensor's analytical performance, stability, and applicability in real-world samples.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of Ag@SiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles modified with amine groups.
• Immobilization of alcohol oxidase (AOx) onto the Ag@SiO₂ nanostructure to create the AOx/Ag@SiO₂ biosensor.
• Colorimetric detection of ethanol based on the redox reaction involving silver nanoparticles and hydrogen peroxide generated by AOx.

Main Results:

• The AOx/Ag@SiO₂ biosensor exhibited a linear detection range of 40-2000 mM for ethanol.
• A low detection limit of 11.42 μM was achieved with high repeatability (RSD 2.90%) and reproducibility (RSD 3.37%).
• The biosensor demonstrated excellent stability, selectivity, and satisfactory recovery rates (97.22-101.67%) in beer samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed Ag@SiO₂ core-shell biocomposite serves as an effective platform for immobilizing AOx, enhancing biosensor performance.
• This colorimetric biosensor offers a simple, reliable, and selective method for ethanol determination in complex matrices.
• The core-shell architecture contributes to improved robustness, controlled mass transfer, and stabilized redox behavior for practical applications.