A novel nonenzymatic electrochemical sensor based on double-shelled CuCo2O4 hollow microspheres for glucose and H2O2

CuxCo3-xO4 (x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) are successfully synthesized through hydrothermal and calcination processes. A series of electrochemical tests reveal that all of them exhibit electrocatalytic activity towards glucose and H2O2. Among them, CuCo2O4 (x = 1) has a unique double-shelled hollow structure and shows higher catalytic performance. The electrochemical sensor based on CuCo2O4 displays a linear range from 2.5 μM to 7.9 mM, with a sensitivity of 400.0 μA mM−1cm−2 for the detection of glucose. As for H2O2, it shows a linear range from 10.0 μM to 8.9 mM, with a sensitivity of 94.1 μA mM−1cm−2. The sensor also exhibits short response time (<3 s), good selectivity, reproducibility, and stability over 18 days. Thus, this novel non-enzyme sensor has potential application in glucose and H2O2 detection.