CuO nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers modified glassy carbon electrodes for non-enzymatic glucose sensors with improved sensitivity

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (N-CNFs) were facilely prepared by carbonizing electrospun polyacrylonitrile@polyaniline core shell nanofibers. The obtained N-CNFs possessed the favorable properties of high nitrogen content, large surface area, hierarchical porosity and good conductivity, which as ideal supports have been decorated by CuO nanoparticles through a facile solvothermal approach. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the properties of N-CNFs and CuO nanoparticles, the obtained CuO/N CNFs modified on glassed carbon electrodes (CuO/N CNEs/GCE) have demonstrated desirable activity for direct electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose with much higher sensitivity than that of pure CuO nanoparticles and CuO/CNEs composites. This could be ascribed to the fast electron transport/collect within the 3D conductive networks, which was very beneficial to improve the sensitivity to glucose detection for CuO/CNEs modified electrodes. In addition, the CuO/N-CNEs/GCE also presented a low detection limit to glucose, good selectivity to the general interferences in blood as well as high stability with long-term exposed in air. Therefore, the prepared CuO/N-CNFs modified electrodes by the facile synthesis method presents the potential possibility for practical application in non-enzymatic glucose sensor. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.