Glucose Oxidase Encapsulated Polyvinyl Alcohol–Silica Hybrid Films for an Electrochemical Glucose Sensing Electrode

An amperometric glucose enzyme electrode was developed by the immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD) in a composite material based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and partially prehydrolyzed tetraethyl orthosilicate (pphTEOS) on the surface of “in-house” fabricated graphite electrodes. For comparison, silver and gold nanoparticles (Ag/AuNPs) embedded in the PVA-pphTEOS matrix was prepared through a novel method via sol–gel process based on the in situ chemical reduction of Ag or Au ions using PVA as a reducing agent and stabilizer. The successful incorporation of Ag and AuNPs ranging from 5 to 7.5 and 4.5–11 nm, respectively, in the PVA-pphTEOS matrix was confirmed by UV–Vis spectroscopy, TEM, and EDX analysis. The PVA-TEOS matrix was also characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. The analytical performance of the enzyme electrodes were studied in terms of linear ranges, sensitivities, response times, limits of detection, reproducibility and stability.