Fullerene-cryptand-coated piezoelectric crystal membrane glucose enzyme sensor

A fullerene-cryptand-22-coated piezoelectric (PZ) quartz crystal membrane glucose sensor with a homemade computer interface for signal acquisition and data processing was prepared. The fullerene-cryptand-coated sensor was employed to detect gluconic acid, a product of glucose oxidation by glucose oxidase in glucose aqueous solutions. The oscillating frequency of the quartz crystal decreased due to the adsorption of gluconic acid on fullerene-cryptand-22. The low-cost PZ glucose sensor exhibited a linear frequency response to the log concentration of glucose with a slope of 1.54 X 10(2) Hz decade(-1) (Delta Hz/Delta log M) and a good lower limit of linearity (LLL) of approximately 1.0 X 10(-5) M fur glucose in aqueous solutions. The interference of various common species in the human blood, e.g. ascorbic acid, cystein, galactose, tyrosine, uric acid and the metal ions, to the PZ glucose sensor was also investigated. These species showed nearly no interference with the PZ glucose sensor. Effects of solvents, temperature, coating load, glucose concentration and pH on the frequency response of the fullerene-cryptand-22-coated PZ glucose sensor were studied and discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.