Nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor based on novel Pt-Pd nanoflakes

The sluggish kinetic-controlled glucose oxidation reaction on Pt electrodes is well recognized as the most critical issue that blocks the development and commercialization of enzyme-free glucose sensors, and increasing attention is being focused on improving the analytical performances of these nonenzymatic sensors through exploring new Pt-based catalysts. In the present research, we synthesized novel Pt-Pd nanoflakes (Pt-Pd NFs) with three-dimensional architectures on a homemade screen-printed gold film electrode (SPGFE) substrate using a facile electrochemical deposition without any template, and further investigated the properties of the as-fabricated Pt-Pd NFs/SPGFE for enzymeless glucose detection. The results reveal that the proposed Pt-Pd nanostructure can provide preeminent electrocatalytic activity and excellent selectivity for enzyme-free glucose sensing under simulative physiological conditions, mainly attributing to its attractive structure, large active surface and appropriate applied potential. The resulting Pt-Pd NFs/SPGFE offers linear current responses for glucose with the concentration upper limit to 16 mM. The obtained sensitivity is calculated to be as high as 48.0 mu A cm(-2) mM(-1) in the presence of 0.15 M chlorides ions, and practical applications for blood sample analysis are also demonstrated. The proposed Pt-Pd structure is considered as a great potential building block for the fabrication of nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose sensors. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.