Research and development of non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors utilizing porous ZnO/graphene electrodes to determine xanthine

Abstract

In this study, we developed a non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor using a porous graphene electrode modified with ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO/fPGE sensor) to determine xanthine (XA) content. The ZnO/fPGE sensor is fabricated using a hydrothermal method and CO₂ infrared laser writing technique on a polyimide film. The morphology, structure, and properties of the ZnO/fPGE were meticulously characterized using Raman spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and Von-Ampe spectroscopy methods. The ZnO/fPGE sensor exhibited a broad linear response range from 1 µM to 100 µM, a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.29 µM, high sensitivity at 7.05 µA.µM⁻¹.cm⁻², and demonstrated effective resistance to common interferences such as uric acid, ascorbic acid, dopamine, glucose, and xanthine. Notably, the ZnO/fPGE sensor has created a conducive electrical environment for the advancement of high-performance electrochemical biosensors, specifically for the precise determination of xanthine levels in meat and fish products.