A novel amperometric biosensor for quantification of the electrochemically
inert polar organic solvents based on tyrosinase electrode was preliminaril
y reported. The biosensor was fabricated by simply syringing an aqueous sol
ution of tyrosinase/PVAVP (PVAVP: copolymer of poly(vinyl alcohol) grafting
with 4-vinylpyridine) onto glassy carbon electrode surface followed by dry
ing the modified electrode at +4 degrees C in a refrigerator. The current g
enerated from electrochemical reduction of quinone is a probe signal. The b
iosensor can be used for quantification of polar organic solvents, and its
mechanism was characterized with in situ steady-state amperometry-quartz cr
ystal microbalance experiments. The detection limit, sensitivity, and dynam
ic range for certain organic solvents are dependent on the kind and concent
ration of the substrate probe and the hydrophobicity of the immobilization
matrix. The response time for all the tested organic solvents is less than
2 min.