A Reduced Graphene Oxide Based Radio Frequency Glucose Sensing Device Using Multi-Dimensional Parameters

A reduced graphene oxide (RGO) based glucose sensor using a radio frequency (RF) signal is demonstrated. An RGO with outstanding electrical property was employed as the interconnector material between signal electrodes in an RF electric circuit, and it was functionalized with phenylbutyric acid (PBA) as a linker molecule to bind glucoses. By adding glucose solution, the fabricated sensor with RGO and PBA showed detecting characteristics in RF signal transmission and reflection. Frequency dependent electrical parameters such as resistance, inductance, shunt conductance and shunt capacitance were extracted from the RF results under the equivalent circuit model. These parameters also provided sensing characteristics of glucose with different concentrations. Using these multi-dimensional parameters, the RF sensor device detected glucose levels in the range of 1–4 mM, which ordinarily covers the testing range for diabetes or medical examination. The RGO based RF sensor, which fits well to a linear curve with fine stability, holds considerable promise for biomaterials detection, including glucose.