Development of individual semiconductor nanowire for bioelectrochemical device at low overpotential conditions

In this work we report the bioelectrochemical study using an individual indium tin oxide (ITO) nanowire (ITO-NW) electrode modified with glucose oxidase enzyme (GOx), in which the enzymatic activity and the biocatalytic activity was evaluated. The main objective is to show that at low overpotential condition, semiconductor NW can be used as an electron donor during biocatalytic process. We demonstrate the possibility of immobilizing an ITO-NW electrode on gold contacts deposited on top of a microchip (oxidized Si wafer). A protective polymer layer containing an aperture over the sample area was photolithographically deposited over the microchip to isolate the metallic contacts. For H2O2 reduction during the biocatalysis at ITO-NWs surface, with η ≪ 50 mV, normal linear behavior is not observed and an exponential current is evident, similar to n–p semiconductor junction behavior. These results can open new tools for studying redox enzymes at the single-molecule level, and the device described here is very promising as a candidate for further exploration in bioelectrochemical devices, such as biofuel cells and biosensors.