Miniaturization and wireless continuous glucose monitoring are key factors for the successful management of diabetes. Electrochemical sensors are very versatile and can be easily miniaturized for wireless glucose monitoring. The authors report a microneedle-based enzyme-free electrochemical wireless sensor for painless and continuous glucose monitoring. The microneedles (MNs) fabricated consist of a 3 × 5 sharp and stainless-steel electrode array configuration. Each MN in the 3 × 5 array has 575 µm × 150 µm in height and width, respectively. A glucose-catalyzing layer, porous platinum black, was electrochemically deposited on the tips of the MNs by applying a fixed cathodic current of 2.5 mA cm-2 for a period of 200 s. For the non-interference glucose sensing, the platinum (Pt)-black-coated MN was carefully packaged into a biocompatible ionomer, nafion. The surface morphologies of the bare and modified MNs were studied using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The wireless glucose sensor displayed a broad linear range of glucose (1→30 mM), a good sensitivity and higher detection limit of 145.33 μA mM-1 cm-2 and 480 μM, respectively, with bare AuMN as a counter electrode. However, the wireless device showed an improved sensitivity and enhanced detection limit of 445.75, 165.83 μA mM-1 cm-2 and 268 μM, respectively, with the Pt-black-modified MN as a counter electrode. The sensor also exhibited a very good response time (2 s) and a limited interference effect on the detection of glucose in the presence of other electroactive oxidizing species, indicating a very fast and interference-free chronoamperometric response.
Keywords: chronoamperometry; continuous glucose monitoring; glucose sensor; microneedle electrode array; platinum black; wireless data transmission.