Membrane properties of acrylate bulk polymers for biosensor applications

Copolymers composed of 25% glycidylmethacrylate and 75% methylmethacrylate, modified by covalently attaching glucose oxidase, were investigated for their film forming properties using rotating disc electrodes with a view to their suitability as oxygen transducing glucose biosensors. Films of the enzyme modified copolymer produced membranes with pinholes, which were degraded by hydrogen peroxide produced in the enzyme reaction. Blends of the polymer and different plasticizers gave continuous films with improved stability, however the degradation was still prevalent at higher glucose concentrations. The lack of robustness and inhomogeneity of the films made these polymer blends unsuitable for this application but the class of polymers shows considerable promise in regard to stabilizing enzymes. The utilization of the change in impedance of the polymer as a consequence of degradation by hydrogen peroxide, as a method of transducing the enzyme reaction, will be the subject of a future investigation. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Limited.