Hybrid Ni3N-nitrogen-doped carbon microspheres (Ni3N@C) in situ derived from Ni-MOFs as sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensors

Metal organic frameworks derived hybrid microspheres consisted of Ni3N and nitrogen-doped carbon were prepared by a facile in situ nitridation process. The as prepared Ni3N@C electrocatalysts displayed superior performance for non-enzymatic glucose sensing with two linear detection ranges. The sensitivity in the lower detection range (0.001–3 mM) is 1511.59μAmM−1 cm−2 with detection limit of 0.3 μM. The sensitivity in higher detection range (3–7 mM) is calculated to be 783.75μA mM−1 cm−2. The excellent electrochemical performance of Ni3N@C for glucose sensing was mainly attributed to its fast charge transfer ability stemming from the synergistic effect of nitrogen-doped carbon and uniform dispersed Ni3N nanoparticles. Furthermore, the as constructed Ni3N@C sensor also showed good feasibility for glucose detection in serum sample and acceptable recovery in analysis. Thus, the preparation of Ni3N@C may hold a new promise for designing highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensors.