Preliminary studies on the influence of surface morphological treatments of ITO on the performances of horseradish peroxidase-based biosensors

The electrochemical treatment of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) supported on glass slides was explored as a convenient route to create nanostructured electrodes, in an attempt to increase the performances of enzyme-based amperometric sensors. The effect of this treatment on the morphological, physical and optical properties of the ITO (SEM, AFM, WLI, X-ray analysis, UV-Vis transmittance) was investigated, as well as on its electrical characteristics (sheet resistance). Working bioelectrodes were fabricated on the nanostructured ITO layers, and the relations between the characteristics of the devices and the treatment effects on the ITO were analyzed and discussed. A positive effect of the electrochemically obtained nanostructures on the affinity of the organic layer for the electrons injected from the ITO surface was found.