A non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensor based on poly(vinyl alcohol)-multiwalled carbon nanotubes-platinum nanoparticles hybrids modified glassy carbon electrode

The present work describes an effective strategy to fabricate a highly sensitive and fast response sensor for non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) determination. Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) were electrodeposited onto the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) which were non-covalently functionalized by freezing-thawing poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The PVA-solubilized MWCNTs could form uniform film on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode, which was considered as a promising support for electrodeposition of metal particles. The PVA-MWCNTs-PtNPs hybrids showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity and offered a significant decrease in the overvoltage for H2O2 reduction, as a result of synergic action of PtNPs and MWCNTs. The PVA-MWCNTs-PtNPs hybrids modified sensor exhibited a wide linear range of 0.002-3.8 mM, a remarkable sensitivity of 122.63 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2) at a low potential of 0 mV, a lower detection limit of 0.7 mu M at the signal-to-noise ratio of 3, and a fast response time (within 5 s). Additionally, it showed an excellent reproducibility, long-term stability and anti-interference performance. The current work could provide a feasible approach and potential platform to fabricate a variety of non-enzymatic amperometric sensors. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.