Noncovalently functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes in aqueous solution using the hydrophobin HFBI and their electroanalytical application

A novel noncovalent approach was developed for the functionalization of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) using the hydrophobin, HFBI. Owing to the amphipathic nature. HFBI can be adopted onto the surface of MWNTs to form HFBI-MWNTs nanocomposite with good dispersion in water. The HFBI-MWNTs nanocomposite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and water contact angle measurements (WCA). Furthermore, a glucose biosensor was developed based on HFBI-MWNTs by a one-step casting method. The resulting biosensor displayed high sensitivity, wider linear range, low detection limit, and fast response for glucose detection, which implicated that the HFBI-MWNTs nanocomposite film holds great promise in the design of electrochemical devices, such as sensors and biosensors. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.