Tyrosinase-modified carbon felt-based flow-biosensors: the role of ultra-sonication in shortening the enzyme immobilization time and improving the sensitivity for p-chlorophenol.

Tyrosinase (TYR) was covalently immobilized onto amino-functionalized carbon felt surface via glutaraldehyde-coupling under ultrasonic treatment for 10 min. The resulting TYR-immobilized carbon felt was used as a working electrode unit of bioelectrocatalytic flow-through detector for TYR substrates (catechol, p-chlorophenol (p-CP), p-cresol, phenol etc.). Cathodic peak currents based on the electroreduction of enzymatically produced o-quinones were detected at -50 mV vs. Ag/AgCl. Compared with previous work in which TYR was immobilized onto amino-functionalized carbon felt for 16 hr without the ultrasonic treatment, we succeeded in (1) shortening the enzyme immobilization time from 16 hr to 10 min, (2) enhancing the sensitivity of p-CP, and (3) improving the operational stability of p-CP. The ultrasonic treatment during the TYR immobilization step would lead to certain changes in the structure of the immobilized TYR and the morphology of the immobilized TYR-layer on the carbon felt surface.