Biosensor made with Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Composite: Cellulose-Tin oxide

Cellulose is the most abundant polymer found in nature, inexhaustible, low cost, easy processing, renewable, biodegradable and biocompatible. SnO2, is a known electrical conductor that is optically transparent in the visible spectrum with a wide band gap at room temperature. Thus, a hybrid nanocomposite of cellulose and SnO2 can offer a unique property of cellulose combined with electrical properties of SnO2. These unique properties of cellulose- SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite can be capitalized to design flexible, biodegradable and low cost biosensors. Preparation and characterization of cellulose-SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite and its application as a flexible urea biosensor was demonstrated in this paper. It is observed sensitivity of cellulose- SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite urea biosensor was increased linearly with deposition time. As deposition time increased, amount of tin oxide deposited over cellulose surface also increases, so as to increase the amount of enzyme immobilization and attachment of analyte, attributes to large current output and high sensitivity of sensor. Increasing enzyme activity is observed, with increasing urea concentration. Experimental results suggested that, the proposed biosensor under study is suitable for urea detection below 50 mM.