Dendritic Bimetallic Nanostructures Supported on Self-Assembled Titanate Films for Sensor Application

The electrochemical properties of electrodes modified with metal/metal oxides depend not only on the nature of the materials but also on the composition and substrate as well. In this study, dendritic CuNi nanostructured materials with a distinguishable bimetal phase were achieved by electrodeposition in 0.05 M Na2SO4 solution containing 0.05 M CuSO4 and 0.05 M NiCl2 at -1.0 V on the surface of titanate thin films, which were self-assembled from the titanate nanaosheets exfoliated by n-propylamine. The structures, morphologies, and elemental molar ratio of the titanate-supported CuNi were analyzed by XRD, SEM, and ICP-AES, respectively. The electrochemical activities of the CuNi nanostructured electrodes toward glucose oxidation were evaluated, and factors that affect the electrocatalytic activities of the electrodes were examined and optimized. The potential applications of the CuNi nanostructured films for fabrication of enzymeless glucose sensors were also investigated. The assay performances of the sensor evaluated by conventional electrochemical techniques revealed a quick response, good reproducibility, and enhanced sensitivity in glucose determination compared with that of pure Cu or Ni electrodeposited on the self-assembled titanate template.