AUTHOR=Thungon Phurpa Dema , Wang Hui , Vagin Sergei I. , Dyck Colin Van , Goswami Pranab , Rieger B. , Meldrum Alkiviathes 

TITLE=A Fluorescent Alcohol Biosensor Using a Simple microPAD Based Detection Scheme

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sensors

VOLUME=3

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sensors/articles/10.3389/fsens.2022.840130

DOI=10.3389/fsens.2022.840130

ISSN=2673-5067

ABSTRACT=<p>A paper-based microfluidic detection device for the detection of ethanol is demonstrated in this work. The method is based on a fluorophore consisting of short-chain conjugated molecular unit susceptible to the protonation of its terminal pyridine groups, along with a carboxyl-functionalized sidechain that acts as a binder and renders it water-soluble. The resulting fluorescent paper device yields large fluorescence changes when exposed to reactions that yield H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> in aqueous solutions. Using an enzyme-catalyzed rection that produces H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> from ethanol, we developed a two-zone, cut-out paper device containing a reaction zone in which the ethanol-containing analyte is placed, and an adjacent sensor zone where we observe a fluorescence color shift proportional to the ethanol concentration. The limit of detection of the fluidic ethanol biosensor was 0.05 v/v% and the dynamic range was 0.05–2 v/v%. This method was employed to detect the alcohol concentration of consumer vodkas using only a paper sensor and a smartphone camera.</p>