Development of conductive carbon-based interdigitated electrode array integrated with microfluidic channel for blood glucose sensing

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to provide a microfluidic blood glucose sensing platform based on integrated interdigitated electrode arrays (IDEAs) on a flexible quartz glass substrate, adhering closely to pertinent electrochemical characterizations. Design/methodology/approach Sensors are the key elements of the modern electronics era through which all the possible physical quantities can be detected and converted into their equivalent electrical form and processed further. But to make the sensing environment better, various types of innovative architectures are being developed nowadays and among them interdigitated electrodes are quite remarkable in terms of their sensing capability. They are a well-qualified candidate in the field of gas sensing and biosensing, but even their sensitivities are getting saturated due to their physical dimensions. Most of the thin film IDEAs fabricated by conventional optical lithographic techniques do not possess a high surface-to-volume ratio to detect the target specified and that reduces their sensitivity factor. In this context, a classic conductive carbon-based highly sensitive three dimensional (3D) IDEA-enabled biosensing system has been conceived on a transparent and flexible substrate to measure the amount of glucose concentration present in human blood. 3D IDEA possesses a way better capacitive sensing behavior compared to conventional thin film microcapacitive electrodes. To transmit the target biological analyte sample property for the detection purpose to the interdigitated array-based sensing platform, the design of a microfluidic channel is initiated on the same substrate. The complex 3D Inter Digital array structure improves the overall capacitance of the entire sensing platform and the reactive surface area as well. The manufactured integrated device displays a decent value of sensitivity in the order of 5.6 µA mM−1 cm−2. Findings Development of a low-cost array-based integrated and highly flexible microfluidic biochip to extract the quantity of glucose present in human blood. Originality/value Potential future research opportunities in the realm of integrated miniaturized, low-cost smart biosensing systems may arise from this study.