Advanced Materials Letters

An electrochemical biosensor based on xanthine oxidase (XOx), titanium dioxide nanoparticles and carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (TiO2/c-MWCNT) nano-composites for sensitive detection of xanthine has been developed. TiO2/MWCNT nano-composites were used as the sensing platform in order to immobilize XOx and magnify the sensor response. FTO electrode was employed to amplify electrochemical signal in the buffer solution. Detailed morphological, electrochemical, structural and optical characterization of XOx/TiO2-NPs/c-MWCNT/FTO electrode was done using XRD, DLS, SEM, EIS, CV and shows quick response time (within 30s), linearity as 0.5- 500 µM, lower detection value of 0.05 micromolar with signal: noise ratio of 3, excellent reproducibility, high selectivity and shelf life of about 8 weeks under refrigerated conditions. The developed biosensor was further used to determine the xanthine levels in the labeo fish samples obtained from market. The accuracy of the developed biosensor was cross-checked by the customary enzymic colorimetric method (99% correlation). Thus, the existing research confirms the development of a highly sensitive, stable and a reliable bio-sensing method to detect the freshness of fish samples.

Xanthine oxidase (XOD) was extracted from bovine milk. Immobilization of extracted XOD was performed by covalently N-ethyl-N'-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxy succinimide (NHS) chemistry on core–shell magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs)/carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotube (c-MWCNT) composite film. The film was electrodeposited on glass plate electrode (usually the surface of fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO). In order to characterize nanocomposite modified FTO electrode, various methods including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were performed. These methods were evaluated prior and following XOD immobilization. The working optimal conditions for instance 30 °C, +0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl, sodium phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 were attributed for developing this biosensor. The linearity of the response upto 150 μM xanthine concentration, 0.05 μM (S/N = 3) detection limit and a response time within 3 s were obtained. The biosensor was stored at 4 °C and used above 100 times for a long period of 120 days. The loss of 50 % of activity was noticed. This fabricated biosensor was then employed determining xanthine in fish meat sample.