Ceramics-based electrochemical uric acid biosensor

Abstract

This project explores the development of a novel disposable biosensor based on coating Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 on commercially available screen-printed electrodes. It looks into the preparation, characterisation and measurement of current values from the electrochemical reaction at the biosensor which is useful for the detection of uric acid. The combination of carbon as the substrate, the overlying Fe3O4 layer and the conductive gold coating showed good adsorption properties for the uricase enzyme molecules and yielded good results. 5μl of 5 mg/ml uricase was immobilised onto the electrode surfaces by physical adsorption or physiosorption for a period of 24 hours at 4oC. The electrode was tested against a uric acid concentration of 0.006 mol/L in pH 7.4 Phosphate Buffer Saline (0.1M). It was observed that the current increased by a value of about 0.03 μA, and this presents us with a fair electrochemical response for the detection of uric acid. This approach however can be further refined and improved upon for use in clinical applications and even for detection of other immunological agents.