In-situ synthesis of Cu/Cu2+1O/carbon spheres for the electrochemical sensing of glucose in serum

Abstract

Based on the serious influence of the diabetes and the high need on the efficient monitoring of blood glucose, the development of the simple method for the sensitive and accurate analysis of glucose is extremely desirable and attractive for the life quality of diabetic patients. Herein, a facial method was reported for the synthesis of Cu/Cu 2+1 O nanoparticles modified carbon spheres (Cu/Cu 2+1 O/CSs) via in-situ reduction of the adsorbed Cu 2+ ions onto the surface of carbon spheres. The dependence of the different adsorption amount of Cu 2+ ions and the calcination temperature on the morphology and composition of Cu/Cu 2+1 O/CSs was investigated and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), XRD, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The as-prepared Cu/Cu 2+1 O/CSs was further developed for the analysis of glucose, where the functionalized carbon spheres and the well distributed Cu/Cu 2+1 O nanoparticles with the multivalence copper presented the efficient electrochemical catalytic ability towards glucose, leading to the improved electrochemical behavior. It exhibited a wide concentration range from 0.30 μM to 24.50 mM with the high sensitivity and low detection limit (66 nM). Besides, the Cu/Cu 2+1 O/CSs showed the favorable anti-interference and stability. Moreover, the sensor was successfully applied for the sensing of glucose in human serum samples. This work developed a facial and efficient approach for the functionalization of carbon spheres, and could serve as a reliable platform for the electrochemical analysis and medical diagnostics.