Hierarchically porous cellulose nanofibril aerogel decorated with polypyrrole and nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide for high-performance nonenzymatic glucose sensors

With increasing emphasis on green chemistry, biomass-based materials have attracted increased attention regarding the development of highly efficient functional materials. Herein, a new pore-rich cellulose nanofibril aerogel is utilized as a substrate to integrate highly conductive polypyrrole and active nanoflower-like nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide through in situ chemical polymerization and electrodeposition. This ternary composite can act as an effective self-supported electrode for the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose. With the synergistic effect of three heterogeneous components, the electrode achieves outstanding glucose sensing performance, including a high sensitivity (851.4 mu A.mmol(-1).L.cm(-2)), a short response time (2.2 s), a wide linear range (two stages: 0.001-8.145 and 8.145-35.500 mmol.L-1), strong immunity to interference, outstanding intraelectrode and interelectrode reproducibility, a favorable toxicity resistance (Cl.), and a good long-term stability (maintaining 86.0% of the original value after 30 d). These data are superior to those of some traditional glucose sensors using non-biomass substrates. When determining the blood glucose level of a human serum, this electrode realizes a high recovery rate of 97.07%-98.89%, validating the potential for high-performance blood glucose sensing.

Automated summary

In this study, a new ternary composite was developed by integrating highly conductive polypyrrole and active nanoflower-like nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide on a pore-rich cellulose nanofibril aerogel substrate. This composite exhibited outstanding glucose sensing performance, including high sensitivity, short response time, wide linear range, strong immunity to interference, and good long-term stability. It also showed a high recovery rate when determining blood glucose levels, indicating its potential for high-performance blood glucose sensing.