Electrochemical sensor for electrochemically inactive beta-D(+)-glucose using alpha-cyclodextrin template molecules.

We report an electrochemical sensor for an electrochemically inactive organic compound using a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed on the gold surface from a solution of thiolated alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD). The SAM makes up an array of ultramicroelectrodes, which capture electroactive molecules such as those of ferrocene. When this SAM-modified electrode is exposed to a solution containing an electrochemically inactive compound, e.g., glucose, the captured ferrocene molecules are replaced by the electroinactive molecules via an equilibrium established between the two compounds, lowering the current for ferrocene oxidation. The decrease in current is directly proportional to the amount of glucose added and the glucose can be analyzed up to approximately 0.80 mM, which is approximately 1/10 of a typical physiological concentration in blood serum. Formation constants of the surface-bound alpha-CD molecules with ferrocene and glucose are also reported.