Characterization of natural chitosan membranes from the carapace of the soldier crab Mictyris brevidactylus and its application to immobilize glucose oxidase in amperometric flow-injection biosensing system.

This study investigated characteristics of a chitosan membrane from the carapace of the soldier crab Mictyris brevidactylus intended to construct an amperometric biosensor. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used in this study to characterize these chitosan membranes intended for constructing enzymatic biosensors. Chitosan membranes suffering various durations (>10 min) of deacetylation had small charge-transfer resistances (<7.88 kohms) but large double-layer capacitances (>0.55 microF). They were found in EIS where both the solution resistance and Warburg impedance upon electrode interface were almost independent of the durations and degree of deacetylation. The degree of deacetylation and the thickness of chitosan membranes were also determined. Membrane thickness was slightly dependent with the duration but degree of deacetylation was slightly dependent on the duration. Chitosan membranes with various thicknesses suffered various durations of deacetylation, but this did not influence their electrochemical characteristics. The chitinous membrane was covalently immobilized with glucose oxidase (EC 1.3.4.3) and then attached onto the platinum electrode of a homemade amperometric flow cell. Sensor signal was linearly related to glucose concentration (r=0.999 for glucose up to 1.0 mM). The system was sensitive (S/N>5 for 10 microM glucose) and reproducible (CV<1.3% for 50 microM glucose, n=5).