Enhanced activity for non-enzymatic glucose biosensor by facile electro-deposition of cauli flower-like NiWO4 nanostructures

This work introduces simple electrodeposition of nickel tungstate nanostructures (NiWO4 NSs) as an electrocatalyst material for the development of a non-enzymatic glucose biosensor. We report a straightforward route for electrosynthesis of NiWO4 NSs on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface by performing two electrochemical steps for the first time. In the first step, the Ni-W alloy was electrodeposited on carbon substrate at a constant potential of-1.4 V (vs. SCE) for 60 s in an ammoniacal buffer (pH = 8.0) containing an appropriate amount of NiSO4 and Na2WO4. 2H(2)O. In the next step, Ni-W alloy was converted to the cauliflower nanostructured NiWO4 by applying a cyclic voltammetric (CV) treatment in 1.0 M NaOH solution for 15 cycles at the scan rate 50 mV s-(1). The surface morphology, elemental composition, crystal structure of NiWO4 NSs were studied by FESEM, EDX, and XRD analysis, respectively. The NiWO4 NSs/GCE nanosensor exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity towards glucose in an alkaline medium. The proposed non-enzymatic glucose biosensor possessed excellent selectivity obtained at potential (0.6 V vs. SCE) in KOH 0.1 M, and outstanding long term stability. Furthermore, it showed a low detection limit of 0.15 mM with a high sensitivity of 1200 mA mM(-1) cm(-2) over the linear range of 0.5-280 mM in KOH 0.1 M. Finally, the practical application of the proposed sensor was successfully evaluated by determining the glucose concentration of human blood with the satisfactory results. (c) 2021 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study introduces a straightforward electrodeposition method for nickel tungstate nanostructures (NiWO4 NSs) and their application as an electrocatalyst for a non-enzymatic glucose biosensor, showing excellent electrocatalytic activity, selectivity, and long-term stability. The NiWO4 NSs/GCE nanosensor exhibited a low detection limit of 0.15 mM, high sensitivity of 1200 mA mM(-1) cm(-2), and a linear range of 0.5-280 mM in 0.1 M KOH, with successful evaluation in measuring glucose concentration in human blood.