Nanoporous CuZn supported CuO nanoparticle electrodes for non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose detection

It is essential to discover an affordable electrode for the glucose detection application, which can be easily prepared. In this regard, we report a novel non-enzymatic glucose sensor that utilizes a free-standing electrode with a hybrid structure consisting of nanoporous CuZn/CuO nanoparticle (NPC/CuO). This electrode was fabricated through the process of dealloying the Zn80Cu20 precursor alloy and subsequent natural oxidation. We conducted a thorough investigation of the phase structure and morphology evolution. The results revealed that the NPC/CuO composite-based glucose biosensor displayed remarkable electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation, exhibiting a high sensitivity of 2.33 mAcm−2 mM−1, wide linear range from 0 to 3.5 mM, low detection limit of 2.42 μM, excellent selectivity and suitable stability. These outstanding characteristics were attributed to the combined effect of the electroactive CuO and the nanoporous structure. These findings highlight that NPC/CuO composites have the potential to replace expensive noble metal biosensors in non-enzymatic glucose detection. By leveraging the cooperative effect of the nanostructure and copper oxide, these composites offer promising prospects for future development in this field.