Mesocrystalline Cu2O hollow nanocubes: synthesis and application in non-enzymatic amperometric detection of hydrogen peroxide and glucose

Mesocrystalline Cu2O hollow nanocubes (MCHNs) were successfully prepared by a facile reduction reaction under room temperature. CuCl2 played a dual role as both copper source and morphology controlling reagent for the oriented aggregation of primary Cu2O crystallites toward MCHNs. Due to the high crystallinity and high specific surface area, the as-prepared MCHNs exhibited high electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxidation of glucose. The non-enzymatic amperometric biosensors based on the MCHNs demonstrated a detection limit of 1.03 mu M and a sensitivity of 156.6 mu A mM(-1) for H2O2, as well as a detection limit of 0.87 mu M and sensitivity of 52.5 mu A mM(-1) for glucose. The high sensitivities and anti-interference ability made the MCHNs a promising material in non-enzymatic biosensors.