In-situ facile preparation of highly efficient copper/nickel bimetallic nanocatalyst on chemically grafted carbon nanotubes for nonenzymatic sensing of glucose

Measuring glucose in a convenient and economical manner is crucial for diabetes diagnostics and surveillance. Ongoing efforts are devoted to nonenzymatic sensors using functional nanomaterials. Drawbacks due to costly and cumbersome process, however, hamper the practicality. Here, we report the facile preparation of Cu/Ni bimetallic nanocatalyst toward glucose electrooxidation. Carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes were chemically grafted onto indium tin oxide glass via silanization reaction and amide coupling reaction, providing distinct nucleation sites for Cu/Ni bimetallic electrocatalyst prepared by in-situ succinct electrodeposition, which synthetically created a three-dimensional electron transfer network. The surface morphology and chemical constituents were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The prepared electrocatalyst displayed ultrahigh electrochemical activity; the catalytic current density for glucose oxidation was found to be over 6.7 mA mM-1 cm-2. The linear response spanned three orders of magnitude of glucose concentration ranging from 1 μM to 1 mM. Analytical parameters such as accuracy, reproducibility, specificity and stability have also been validated. Importantly, we reveal that Ni plays a dominant role over Cu in electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose, thus bettering our understanding and strategy for nonenzymatic glucose sensor design. Advantages of the glucose sensor presented include easy bulk preparation, low cost, and ready-to-use.