A novel non-enzymatic glucose sensor modified with Fe2O3 nanowire arrays

Fe2O3 was generally considered to be biologically and electrochemically inert, and its electrocatalytic functionality has been rarely realized directly in the past. In this work, Fe2O3 nanowire arrays were synthesized and electrochemically characterized. The as prepared Fe2O3 nanomaterial was proved to be an ideal electrode material due to the intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic activity. The Fe2O3 nanowire array modified glucose sensor exhibited excellent biocatalytic performance towards the oxidation of glucose with a response time of < 6 s, a linear range between 0.015-8 mM, and sensitivity of 726.9 mu A mM(-1)cm(-1). Additionally, a high sensing selectivity towards glucose oxidation in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and dopamine (DA) has also been obtained at their maximum physiological concentrations, which makes the Fe2O3 nanomaterial promising for the development of effective electrochemical sensors for practical applications.