NiMoO4 nanosheet arrays anchored on carbon cloth as 3D open electrode for enzyme-free glucose sensing with improved electrocatalytic activity

High electrical conductivity and more active sites exposure are crucial for improving the performance of electrocatalyst. Binary metal oxide nanoarray grown on conductive substrate offers a 3D self-supported electrode with a great promise in boosting its performance in enzyme-free glucose sensing. Here, NiMoO4 nanosheet arrays anchored on carbon cloth (NiMoO4 NSA/CC) was prepared via a simple hydrothermal synthesis and used as 3D self-supported electrode for enzyme-free glucose sensing. The morphology and composition of NiMoO4 nanosheet have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical results show that NiMoO4 NSA/CC exhibits remarkable high catalytic activity towards glucose oxidation, with a wide linear response ranging from 1 μM to 0.9 mM, a high sensitivity of 4.13 mA/mM·cm2, and a low detection limit of 1 μM (S/N = 3). The enhanced performance might be attributed to the merits of nanosheet arrays with large surface area, self-supported electrode with 3D open network, as well as bimetallic component with high conductivity. Furthermore, NiMoO4 NSA/CC also shows good selectivity and reliability for glucose detection in human serum. This work offers a new pathway for the construction of enzyme-free glucose sensor with high performance.