Recently, the world health organization (WHO) was estimated that the diabetic patients among total population are 463 million (9.3%), worldwide in the year 2019, and it is expected to rise 700 million (10.9%) by 2030. For this motive, the research on glucose sensors are attaining tremendous interest for clinical diagnosis of diabetes, pharmaceutical analysis, personal care, and food monitoring. To this purpose, carbon-based nanostructures are emerging materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), single/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT/MWCNT), and graphene. Among them, Graphene has attracted in attention due to their outstanding mechanical and electrical properties useful for many engineering and medical applications. Basically, Graphene is a 2D sheet consists of carbon atoms in hexagonal lattice structure, and few stacks of these sheets named as Graphene Nano Platelets (GNPs). Moreover, the GNP based nanocomposites electrical properties are modified based up on the choice of polymer matrix. In this proposed project, the traditional conductive polymer polyaniline (PANI) is chosen owing to their intrinsic electrical properties, easy processability, and an excellent thermal stability. In addition, metallic nickel nano particles are gaining much interest due to its low cost and electrocatalytic properties. Therefore, this project main aim is to produce PANI/graphene/nickel based composite film by a two-step procedure for achieving synergetic effect of both an excellent conductive and electro catalytic properties for highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensing applications. Furthermore, the fabricated film will be characterized by electrochemical measurements, such as cyclic voltammetry, and amperometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), wettability (WCA), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) available at Sapienza (CNIS) laboratory.
The proposed project has novelty in terms of its simple three step production, highly sensitive due to conductive polymer and an excellent filler, flexible and wearable since it can be attachable to any kind of textile by using double adhesive tape. Furthermore, the produced film is light weight, has an excellent biocompatibility, and can be used for multiple times. In the following, the list of advantages towards producing proposed polymer nanocomposite films as a non-enzymatic glucose sensor are mentioned.
1.Low cost
2.Highly sensitive
3.Simple production
4.Non-invasive monitoring
5.Wearable
6.Flexible
7.Light weight
8.Excellent biocompatibility
9.Reusable several times
10.Easy to use
Potential of the project to advancement from the state of art:
In this 21st century, the advancement of science and technology have been explored using graphene, composites and noble metals and transition metal oxides due to its potential to develop and produce highly sensitive non-enzymatic, and non-invasive monitoring of glucose biosensors. Therefore, the main potential of advancement with respect to state of art of this project is to achieve highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor by using an excellent conductive polymer and graphene-based fillers together with metallic particles composite film for developing an enzyme less, highly sensitive, reusable for easy monitoring of glucose concentrations, which is useful to control of diabetes by following necessary precautions and strict diet in the future applications.
According to literature, carbon-based nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes, reduced graphene oxide, graphene at most used as a conductive filler for non-enzymatic glucose sensing applications. Furthermore, Graphene nano platelets (GNPs) are attracting attention in scientific community due to their two-dimensional planar structures with high aspect ratio, light weight, low cost compared to other carbon allotropes (i.e., carbon black (CB) or carbon nanotubes (CNTs)), easy for large-scale production than single layer of graphene, high specific area, extraordinary young¿s modulus, together with good electrical and thermal conductivities. Therefore, GNPs are used as an attractive nanofillers in different polymer matrices to enhance their chemical resistance, mechanical and electrical properties as compared to its pure polymers. The choice of choosing this outstanding low-cost material as a conductive filler in our proposed project along with an excellent polymer matrix (PANI) together with metallic nickel catalytic particles composite is an advancement in research to produce highly sensitive glucose sensor along with fast response. Nonetheless, there is no articles published related to PANI/GNPs/Ni based composite for glucose sensing applications.
The idea is to achieve following advancements than state of art with proposed project
1.Highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor
2.Low cost production
3.Wearable and reusable sensor
4.Easy to store and use
5.Stable in both alkaline and basic electrolytes
This project is an initiation for developing a non-enzymatic glucose sensor to be appropriate in future healthcare applications. Since, the production is expected to achieve with low cost, highly sensitive, wearable and biocompatible glucose sensor. Furthermore, the research and development on glucose sensors are utmost important and challenging for researchers and scientists for easy, non-invasive, non-enzymatic, user friendly, accurate, highly sensitive, low cost, simple, wearable, reusable, flexible, comfortable, portable, easy to store and use, stable glucose sensors.
The proposed project has potential to be beneficial for following in the future.
1.Useful for personalized healthcare
2.Reduces medical cost burden
3.Diminish hospitalization
4.Preventive care purposes
5.Improves quality of life
The main aim of the project is to produce highly sensitive polymer nanocomposite film for glucose sensing applications and its electrochemical and other characterizations. However, the proposed project has potential to be useful in future for improving quality of life and utmost beneficial for healthcare applications in this modern society.