Silicon nanowires for high-sensitivity glucose detection

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were investigated as supporting matrices for enzyme immobilization to construct glucose biosensors. Glucose oxidase was adsorbed onto SiNWs after different treatments, either as grown, HF etched, or carboxylic acid (COOH) functionalized. The amperometric biosensor with COOH-functionalized SiNWs performed the best with a detection limit of 0.01 mM glucose (signal-to-noise ratio=3). For real-time detection of glucose, SiNW biosensor showed a linear response in the range of 0.1-15 mM. This work demonstrates the utility of SiNWs as a biosensor component and provides a general method to modify the surface of semiconducting nanomaterials for potential biomedical applications. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.