Development of scattering based glucose sensor using hydrothermally synthesized cuprous oxide nanoparticles.

• The hydrothermal method for synthesis of cuprous oxide. • Structural and bonding characterization of cuprous oxide nanomaterials. • Detail experimental approach for optical glucose sensing. • Room temperature optoelectronic glucose sensing with higher accuracy. • Advantages of the optical glucose sensing over other electrical sensing methods. The aim of the present paper is to develop an optical glucose sensor employing the scattering effect of light. The cuprous oxide nanoparticles were prepared by a hydrothermal route. The surface morphology, elemental distribution and the average crystallite size of the synthesized nanoparticles have been analyzed by using SEM, EDX and XRD techniques respectively. The SEM images show the spherical structure of cuprous oxide nanoparticle and the highest peak of the cuprous and oxygen in the EDX illustrates the formation of cuprous oxide nanoparticles. The XRD confirms that the Cu 2 O was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal route with its crystallite size 12.33 nm. The optical characterization of the film was carried out by UV–VIS spectroscopy and optical band gap was found as 3.98 eV. The optical glucose sensing behavior of the sensor was investigated by the perpendicular arrangement of laser and detector employing the solution of glucose and cuprous oxide as a scattering medium. The maximum sensitivity of the sensor was recorded as 7.19 nW/mole and the % of sensor response as 898. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]