Digital patterning of glucose oxidase for electrochemical glucose biosensors

Type 1 diabetes is a pancreatic disease that afflicts over one million people in the United States. Patients with type 1 diabetes are not able to produce their own insulin and must use portable blood glucose monitors to measure glucose levels, and have insulin delivered by injection or pump. Glucose monitoring in the subcutaneous tissue closely parallels the blood glucose values, and allows patients to be alerted to hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia conditions. We are using electrohydrodynamic (e-jet) printing to pattern glucose oxidase on flexible amperometric glucose sensors. E-jet printing is of interest for these sensors since printing of features down to 200 nm has previously been demonstrated, while e-jet printing also allows significant flexibility in the digital patterning of glucose enzyme electrodes on either rigid or flexible substrates in a variety of sizes and shapes. In this presentation we will discuss glucose oxidase ink formulation, surface pretreatment conditions, and electrochemical characterization of the printed glucose enzyme electrodes.