An Ultra-Sensitive Sol-Gel Biocomposite Electrode Sensor for Cyanide Detection

Abstract

Cyanide is a widely used industrial chemical but is also very toxic. Cyanide binds strongly with hemoglobin than that of oxygen which causes histoxic hypoxia, if it is introduced into the bloodstream. This pairing reaction can thus be exploided for the development of a cyanide detection sensor. Our research group has been developing a sensor platform that can utilize different enzymatic couplings for the detections of metabolites and species that are of health and environmental concerns at extremely low concentrations. In this study, we report the detection of cyanide using our sensor platform with a biocomposite layer made up of polymers, nanogold sol-gel, and hemoglobin. The biocomposite is coated on the surface of anchoring materials such as Au, Pt, and glass carbon electrode. This ultra high sensitive biosensor can detect cyanide at concentration levels orders of magnitude lower than any reports found in the public domain. This report reveals results in twofold: at low concentration levels above 1´10-5 M and ultra-low levels of 1´10-18 M. These two concentration ranges represent applications for rountine cyanide monitoring and research exploration. We will also discuss factors that affect the sensitivity, interference, durability, and performance enhancement of this sensor. Due to its ability to detect cyanide at such wide range of concentrations, this cyanide sensor can have unique applications in homeland security, biomedical, and environmental monitoring.

Keywords

• Cyanide
• Biocomposite
• Performance
• Au nano particles
• Biosensor
• Homeland security.