Pd nanocube as non-enzymatic glucose sensor

Pd nanocubes enclosed by (1 0 0) planes are successfully used as stable catalysts for D-glucose sensors. In this study, a comparison of the specific activities in terms of electrochemical real surface area (ESA) between the Pd nanocubes enclosed by (1 0 0) planes and Pd nanoparticles dominated by (1 1 1) planes is performed to assess their ability to electrocatalyse glucose oxidation. By measuring activity per ESA, the nanocubes (6.3 x 10(-5) C cm(-2)) are found to perform 1.45 times better than the nanoparticles (4.32 x 10(-5) C cm(-2)). The higher specific activity of the nanocubes can be attributed to the higher oxidation power of the anodic glucose oxidation process catalysed by the (1 0 0) planes of the nanocubes. Furthermore, the prepared nanocubes show great potential and stability for use as a glucose sensor system as they have a sensitivity of 34 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2) and a linear range of 1-10 mM. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.