Adsorption of Glucose Oxidase to 3-D Scaffolds of Carbon Nanotubes: Analytical Applications

Abstract

This study is the first to focus on the potential use of carbon nanotube (CNT) scaffolds as enzyme immobilization substrates for analytical purposes. Besides all the well-known advantages of CNT, three-dimensional scaffolds can significantly increase the amount of enzymes adsorbed per unit area, preserve the catalytic activity of the adsorbed molecules, and allow effective exposure to substrates present in the adjacent medium. Additionally, our results indicate that the sensitivity of analytical probes based on enzyme-loaded CNT scaffolds is proportional to the thickness of the scaffold providing 3-fold sensitivity improvements with respect to the control surfaces. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.