This paper described the development of a small and low cost biosensor consisting of a smartphone-based electrochemical biosensor device and a paper-based biosensor. The device harvested power from the smartphone and transferred data through audio jack. We designed CMOS circuits including a power supply circuit, a potentiostat, and a ΔΣ modulator. The fabrication of a paper-based biosensor was simple: the three electrodes were directly drawn on chromatography paper using a carbon pencil. The paper-based biosensor was low cost, disposable, portable and friendly to the environment. The sensing system was designed to perform the chronoamperometry measurement, and the glucose concentration in a liquid specimen was detected. Results showed that the sensing system was capable of measuring the glucose concentration as precisely as expensive equipments.

Abstract

An unconventional portable electrochemical gas sensor composed of a smartphone, a fingersized sensing chip and a single use paper-based enzyme electrode was proposed to detect a particular target gaseous inclusion for self-breath-analysis with ease. This attempt allowed us to monitor our physical status immediately and continuously regardless of a time, place or person due to the improved convenience, immediacy, and affordability. The custom CMOS chip with the capability of performing an amperometric determination when the power voltage supplied from the earphone jack of a smartphone was designed as an analytical device. A disposable enzyme electrode was prepared simply from a chromatography paper and a commercial carbon pencil instead of the conventional indisposable material and complex manufacturing process. The quantification of ethanol in gaseous samples was demonstrated in range from 50 to 500ppm (V/V) in accord with concentrations in exhaled breath. The response current increased linearly with increasing vapor ethanol concentration.