Electrophoretic Deposition of Uniform Carbon Nanotubes for Nickel Nanocomposites Based Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensor

Abstract

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have enormous applications but restricted due to low dispersibility. In this project, dispersion efficiency of nonfunctionalized, covalently functionalized and non-covalently functionalized CNTs has been investigated. The surfactant, Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS), played an important role in stable dispersion. UV-Visible spectroscopy compared the dispersion behavior of all CNTs suspensions. The surfactant functionalized CNTs revealed the maximum dispersion. The as produced highly stable dispersion was utilised in fabrication of highly homogeneous CNTs electrode using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and its redox peak currents were higher than Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) electrodes, indicating increased charge transport by CNTs. The fabricated CNTs electrode was modified with Nickel (Ni) nanoparticles for Ni/CNTs nanocomposite based nonenzymatic glucose sensor fabrication. The CNTs coated FTO substrate was decorated with Ni nanoparticles (NPs) using electrodeposition by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The electron microscopic analysis showed the uniformly dispersed particles of Ni on CNTs electrodes. The Ni/CNTs/FTO based non enzymatic glucose sensor exhibits ∼4 s fast response time and ∼605.0 μAmM–1 cm–2 sensitivity along with wide concentration (0.005–3.5 mM) and the detection limit ∼5.0 μM. The easy fabrication technique of Ni-CNTs electrodes made them a reliable glucose sensor having good stability.