High-performance electrochemical sensors based on doped C60 fullerene for non-invasive diabetes diagnosis and environmental acetone removal: a computational study

Abstract

This study develops chemical sensor platforms using Zn- and Al-doped C60 fullerenes to sense acetone (a significant biomarker for type 2 diabetes and a prevalent environmental pollutant). A comprehensive suite of DFT and QTAIM calculations was carried out to systematically investigate the structural, electronic, and sensing characteristics of the interaction of acetone with a pristine (C60) fullerene as well as Al-doped (AlC59) and Zn-doped (ZnC59) fullerenes. These studies consisted of MEP mapping, frontier orbital (HOMO-LUMO) energy analyses, Natural Bond Orbital (NBO), and Non-Covalent Interaction (NCI) analyses. According to this data, doping does indeed greatly improve sensor performance. In particular, the ZnC59 sensor exhibited remarkable properties: the lowest energy gap of 0.31 eV, a high electrical conductance of 7.40 × 106 A.m− 2, a high charge transfer (ΔNmax = 28.0), and a fast recovery time of 2.51 × 10− 8 s. The AlC59 was more efficient for acetone detection with the strongest adsorptive ability (-50.2 kcal.mol− 1) as an exceptional adsorbent. The ZnC59 complex exhibited the most advantageous characteristics, including strong but reversible binding to acetone, high sensitivity, and rapid regenerability. The interaction in ZnC59@Ac was favorable and of intermediate strength, as determined by QTAIM and NCI analyses. Overall, this research aims to validate Zn-doped C60 for use in sensitive, reusable electrochemical sensing devices for detecting breath acetone. At the same time, Al-doped C60 shows promise for environmental acetone adsorption.