Cu and Ni Co-sputtered heteroatomic thin film for enhanced nonenzymatic glucose detection

In this work, we report a wafer-scale and chemical-free fabrication of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) heteroatomic Cu-Ni thin films using RF magnetron sputtering technique for non-enzymatic glucose sensing application. The as-prepared wafer-scale Cu-Ni thin films exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation with a 1.86 mu M detection limit in the range of 0.01 mM to 20 mM range. The Cu-Ni film shows 1.3- and 5.4-times higher glucose oxidation activity in comparison to the Cu and Ni electrodes, respectively. The improved electrocatalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of the bimetallic catalyst and high density of grain boundaries. The Cu-Ni electrodes also possessed excellent anti-interference characteristics. These results indicate that Cu-Ni heteroatomic thin film can be a potential candidate for the development of non-enzymatic glucose biosensor because of its chemical free synthesis, excellent reproducibility, reusability, and long-term stability.

Automated summary

In this work, wafer-scale Ni and Cu heteroatomic thin films were synthesized without the use of any chemicals and used for non-enzymatic glucose sensing. The Cu-Ni thin films exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity towards glucose oxidation, with a detection limit of 1.86 mu M. The Cu-Ni film showed significantly higher glucose oxidation activity compared to Cu and Ni electrodes, attributed to the synergistic effect of the bimetallic catalyst and high density of grain boundaries. Additionally, Cu-Ni electrodes showed excellent anti-interference characteristics. These results highlight the potential of Cu-Ni thin films for the development of non-enzymatic glucose biosensors.