Ni-BTC Derived Porous Ni/C/Graphene Composite for Highly Sensitive Non-enzymatic Electrochemical Glucose Detection

Abstract

Electrochemical detection of glucose, including enzymatic and non-enzymatic detections, has gained widespread attention in both biomedical and healthcare fields. Non-enzymatic detection has lower cost, better stability, and simpler immobilization operation, but it lacks sensitivity and reproducibility. Herein, a highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose detection electrocatalyst is synthesized by in-situ compositing porous Ni/C nanoparticles with graphene (G). By using a highly porous precursor, the Ni/C/G composite exhibits massive exposure and homogeneous distribution of metal active sites and spatially sequential structure, and thereby the composite demonstrates improved steadiness, electron transfer rate, superior electrocatalytic activity towards glucose oxidation, such as a high sensitivity of 1030 μA mM−1 cm−2 in alkaline media. Therefore, the Ni/C/G can be utilized as electrocatalysts for applications in non-enzymatic glucose detection, and the preparation strategy can be further developed to synthesize other low-cost nanomaterials for non-enzyme glucose sensors.