Low cost inkjet fabrication of glucose electrochemical sensors based on copper oxide

Abstract

The availability of low cost, efficient and wearable glucose sensors is one of the prerequisites for managing diabetes, one of the most diffuse chronic disease worldwide. Efficient monitoring of glucose levels in diabetics patients is essential to control symptoms and prevent severe complications. Starting from this principle, wet metallization and low cost inkjet printing were employed in the present work to manufacture non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors.
CuO nanoparticles were inkjet printed on platinum, which was electrodeposited on stainless steel. The active layer obtained in this way showed an acceptable linear range for glucose detection and a good sensitivity when used as sensor. The influence on performances of interfering species and curvature were investigated, demonstrating a negligible effect for the first and a decrease in linearity of the response and sensitivity for the latter. A second CuO based
sensor was realized using a PET flexible substrate. Electroless deposition was employed for the formation of a conductive NiP layer on top of which the CuO nanoparticles were inkjet printed. Glucose sensing was demonstrated by amperometric measurement, but the manufacturing process still has to be optimized to achieve a linear response and acceptable values of sensitivity. Finally, the effectiveness of CuO nanoparticles towards glucose sensing was
studied by printing CuO based inks on a Cu/graphene electrochemical sensor.