Glucose determination behaviour of gold microspheres-electrodeposited carbon cloth flexible electrodes in neutral media

Despite numerous advances in the field of nonenzymatic glucose detection, monitoring glucose in physiological applications is still a challenge and is mostly limited to electrode surface modification. This study proposes a simple method for electrodepositing cotton-like gold microspheres (CGMs) on a carbon cloth (CC) flexible electrode, with the potential for the functional supporting substrate to monitor glucose in a neutral environment. It was demonstrated that the voltammetric response of glucose oxidation increased with increases in glucose concentration in the 3D functional flexible substrate; moreover, the amperometric response of glucose oxidation increased over time. The results indicate that the functional flexible electrode—made of gold microspheres-based carbon cloth with a predefined geometry and pore-architecture network to promote the medium-permeation and synergetic effects between CGMs and CC—can be a suitable platform for measuring glucose variation in environments with neutral pH. This is particularly relevant because the oxygen-containing functional groups on the CC surface increase the dehydrogenation rate of glucose oxidation in neutral phosphate-buffered saline. • The carbon cloth-supported CGMs were firstly fabricated and directly used as the flexible glucose sensor. • The flexible glucose sensor can be easily manufactured in 1 h and displayed long service life. • The CGMs/CC realized the detection of glucose under physiological conditions and successfully applied to sweat and blood.