Non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor based on Pt2Pd1 alloy nanocrystals with high-index facets

Nanocrystals enclosed by high-index facets (HIFs) have drawn considerable attention due to their large number of low coordinate atoms, as well as their remarkable electrical properties and catalysis activity. In this article, a novel non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor based on the Pt2Pd1 alloy nanocrystals (NCs) with HIFs was established. The mechanism of enhancing sensor performance was investigated by analyzing the composition and surface texture of Pt2Pd1 alloy NCs. The results showed that as-synthesized Pt2Pd1 alloy NCs had a larger electrochemical active surface area (ECSA). In neutral media, all the test results demonstrated the non-enzymatic glucose sensor based on Pt2Pd1 alloy NCs showed a good linear range of 1 × 10–6 M to 4 × 10–2 M with a detection limit of 0.245 μM/L (S/N = 3), good sensitivity of 31.3 μA mM–1 cm–2 and fast response time (t < 3 s). Furthermore, the sensor also exhibited good stability, reproducibility, and excellent anti-interference performance toward ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA), and fructose (Fru). The HIFs and synergistic effects between Pt and Pd were key factors for sensor performance enhancement.