Comparison of Electrochemical Enzymatic and Non-enzymatic Glucose Sensors Based on Literature Review

Diabetes is a disease that requires continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels to control its complications. At present, blood glucose is measured using portable devices; most of the electrodes of these devices work using the enzyme glucose oxidase. Due to the high cost of the enzyme and its instability, non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors can significantly contribute to the emergence of new generation devices.

In this study, keywords of glucose measurement, non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors in the period 1962 -2020, were searched and studied from Elsevier, Scopus, Science Direct and PubMed databases. In this review, first, the different generations of glucose sensors and how they are made are mentioned, and the types of materials used in the preparation of enzyme-based sensors are discussed. The progress made in non-enzymatic sensors is mentioned in the following, and the advantages and challenges of these types of glucose sensors are discussed.

Materials used to prepare non-enzymatic glucose electrochemical sensors are platinum, copper, platinum alloys, gold and platinum nanomaterials, and molecular mold polymers. The main problem of these compounds is the lack of selectivity of these compounds and their weak signal due to the intervention of disturbing species. However, using molecular mold polymers seems an excellent option to solve this problem.

Non-enzymatic glucose electrochemical sensors have the advantage of high stability and low cost, and measuring the amount of glucose in biological fluids can be helpful in controlling diabetes. Advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology and molecularly formulated polymers have made it possible to produce new nanomaterials to create enzyme-free systems for glucose detection, but several studies are needed to bring these sensors to market.