Scalable approach to fabricate paper-based biomass reduced graphene sensor for the detection of exhaled diabetic breath

Abstract

Herein, we demonstrate a microwave-assisted chemical reduction technique to exfoliate a few layers of graphene from the natural waste material, ‘coconut shell’. The microwave irradiation coconut shell is subjected to structural, morphological and functional groups characterization methods including SEM, Raman, FTIR and XPS spectroscopic analyses. The formation of biomass reduced graphene (BRG) has been confirmed through Raman and FTIR spectroscopic analyzes with the presence of D, G and 2D and other functional spectral bands, respectively. The surface topography of the BRG exhibits two-dimensional mat structures with wrinkle topography, imaged by electron microscopic techniques. The metallic behaviour of the BRG is evaluated by band structure calculation using density functional theory. The synthesized nanostructure has been evaluated for exhaled diabetic breath sensing application by fabricating sensor device on the paper-based substrate by roll-to-roll coating technique. The BRG sensor exhibited enhanced sensing response at a very lower concentration of diabetic biomarker with long term stability and rapid response/recovery time of 1.11 s/41.25 s, respectively. Based on our findings, the microwave-assisted BRG is a potential candidate for fabricating highly scalable, inherently safe, economically viable and excellent sensing performance to detect exhaled diabetic breath at room temperature.