Mixed-valence compound-based biosensor.

A cobalt(II)hexacyanoferrate-based biosensor has been prepared simply by codeposition of an enzyme, together with the electrochemical formation of a cobalt (II)hexacyanoferrate compound electrochemically. The compound can be generated at a constant potential of -0.05 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). This compound possesses the catalytic property of reducing hydrogen peroxide to water at the operating potential of 0.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The mixed-valence compound-based biosensor possesses an unique interference-independent feature, which is important for biomedical application; this feature is attributed to the low overvoltage characteristic of cobalt (II)hexacyanoferrate. The electrochemical glucose biosensor responds to a series of glucose injections with linearity up to 5 mM (with correlation coefficient R = 0.9999) and the sensitivity of the linear portion is 733 nA/(cm2 x mM). The detection limit is 2 x 10(-6)M (S/N = 3). Both the potential-dependent electron transfer rate constant and the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant were studied in rotating disk experiments. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant, Km' calculated from the slope of the "Lineweaver-Burke" type reciprocal plot is 28 mM. A fast-response characteristic is observed in the rotating disk experiment and the 95% response time is 14.5 sec. No response was observed from the addition of either 2 x 10(-4)M galactose, acetaminophen, ascorbic acid, uric acid, cysteine, tyrosine, dopamine, or 1,4-dihydroxyquinone in the absence and/or in the presence of 5 x 10(-4)M glucose. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.