A novel NiO/C@rGO nanocomposite derived from Ni(gallate): A non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor

Abstract

The development of suitable substrate materials in electrochemical sensors is essential for rapid and reliable quantification in the diagnostic and clinical fields. In this paper, NiO/C@rGO nanocomposite was synthesized through nickel (gallate) pyrolysis with graphene oxide and employed as a substrate to construct a glucose sensor with high selectivity and sensitivity. The structural characterizations of NiO/C@rGO were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy disperse spectroscopy, and elemental mapping. The newly fabricated biosensor (NiO/C@rGO/GCE) exhibited a high sensing performance with an extensive dynamic linear range (from 1 μM to 1115 μM) and a low limit of detection (LOD) 0.658 μM (S/N = 3) toward glucose. In addition, the NiO/C@rGO-based sensor displayed good stability, favorable repeatability, and anti-interference ability for determining glucose. It was also used to measure glucose in serum samples, and satisfactory results were attained. These results illustrated that the NiO/C@rGO nanocomposite could be applied as an excellent electrochemical sensing material with high sensitivity to diagnose glucose-related illnesses.