Separation detection of saccharides in whole blood using an electrodynamic microfluidic channel sensor with AuCo dendrite-anchored conductive polymer

Abstract

A simple method for separation detection of saccharides in whole blood was developed using an electrodynamic microfluidic channel coupled with an external catalytic sensor. The device demonstrated that saccharides and isomers were precisely separated according to the molecular weight and the dipole moment by the small AC potential applied symmetrically on the channel walls. To attain a selective and sensitive saccharide sensor, different types of nanostructured catalysts of Au, AuZn, AuCu, and AuNi were synthesized and examined. Among them, AuCo dendrite revealed the best sensor performance, and it was stabilized through anchoring on a polyterthiophene benzoate (pTBA) layer. The calibration plots for eight standard saccharides display the linear ranges between 0.1 × 10−3 and 9.0 mM, with the detection limits ranging from 6.6 × 10−5 ± 1.9 × 10−6 to 1.6 × 10−4 ± 6.1 × 10−6 mM. The interference effects and the method reliability were assessed by determining thirteen saccharides in the human blood sample. The average glucose concentration was 4.87 ± 0.48 mM, which was consistent with that obtained with a commercial glucometer at 95% confidence, while all the other saccharides ranged from 1.4 × 10−3 to 6.8 × 10−5 mM.