Enhanced non-enzymatic glucose sensing based on copper nanoparticles decorated nitrogen-doped graphene

Copper nanoparticles (NPs) decorated nitrogen-doped graphene (Cu-N-G) was prepared by a facile thermal treatment, and further employed as a novel sensing material for fabricating the sensitive nonenzymatic glucose sensor. Compared with pure Cu NPs, the Cu-N-G showed enhanced electrocatalytic activity to glucose oxidation due to the integration of N-G, which exhibited the oxidation peak current of glucose ca. 23-fold higher than that of pure Cu NPs. The presented sensor showed excellent performances for glucose detection including wide linear range of 0.004-4.5 mM, low detection limit (1.3 mu M, S/N=3), high sensitivity (48.13 mu A mM(-1)), fast response time (< 5 s), good selectivity to the general coexisted interferences, etc. Such properties would promote the potential application of the nitrogen-doped graphene as enhanced materials in fabricating sensors for chemical and biochemical analysis. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.