Nickel hydroxide modified silicon nanowires electrode for hydrogen peroxide sensor applications

Abstract

A novel nonenzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) sensor was fabricated, based on nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH) 2) modified silicon nanowires (SiNWs) electrode. The Ni(OH) 2/SiNWs electrode consisted of SiNWs as backbone prepared by a chemical etching process and a Ni(OH) 2 coating layer deposited by an electroless plating technique. The morphology of the Ni(OH) 2/SiNWs electrode was characterized via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The analytical performances of the Ni(OH) 2/SiNWs electrode for determination of H 2O 2 were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry. The prepared electrode exhibited an ultrahigh sensitivity of 3.31 mA mM −1 cm −2 with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 3.2 μM. In addition, the electrode also exhibited superior stability, anti-interference and selectivity. These features demonstrated the Ni(OH) 2/SiNWs electrode was suitable for detection of hydrogen peroxide.