Determination of low glucose level using smart copper(II)oxide 2D-microelectronic sensor

Hypoglycemia is an episode associated with very low glucose levels, which can be life-threatening. While research on high glucose levels related to diabetes is common, targeted critical low glucose level detection has received less attention. This study reports copper (II) oxide (CuO) micro-electronic leaflets as a smart sensor for monitoring critical low glucose levels in neutral aqueous solutions. The sensor exhibited a limit of detection (LOD) of about 2.43 × 10 −3 mol/L (2.43 mM, 43.78 mg/dL) in KCl solution and 81.2 × 10 −6 mol/L (81.2 μM, (1.46 mg/dL) in a complex medium containing ammonium phosphate, sodium chloride and sodium acetate (pH 7.12), an important value for hypoglycemia, at an applied potential of +0.225 V and −0.05 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3 M KCl) respectively. In addition, a real-life body fluid sample was evaluated through spiking with a recovery of about 99.97%. Overall, the 2D-CuO nano-edge microstructures indicate potential for rapid and reliable glucose sensing in clinical and industrial food environments. • Uniformly self-assembled 2D-engineered CuO nano-leaflets were synthesized. • The material was characterized using optical and electrochemical techniques. • The as-synthesized material was used to sense glucose in a neutral solution. • An LOD of 2.43 × 10 −3 M equivalent to 43.78 mg/dL at 0.225 V was achieved. • The CuO nanostructure shows the potential towards detecting hypoglycemia in humans.