Controllable synthesis of barnyardgrass-like CuO/Cu2O heterostructure nanowires for highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensors

The rational construction of one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials with a hierarchical structure, including multi-block, core/shell and branching structures, is a significant challenge and a crucial step toward effective control of their electrical, optical and mechanical properties. Herein, we develop a synergistic approach, integrating precipitation and microwave processes to fabricate barnyardgrass-like CuO/Cu2O heterostructure nanowires. PEG200 is an important solvent acting as a template for the formation of the barnyardgrass-like hierarchical nanostructure as well as a reductant for subsequent reduction of CuO into Cu2O via a microwave process. Furthermore, the barnyardgrass-like CuO/Cu2O heterostructure nanowires were employed as a glucose sensor with a high sensitivity of 1281 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2), a detection limit of 16.7 mM and good stability 420 cycles. This stepwise synergistic approach opens up a new avenue for controllably synthesizing hierarchically-structured nanomaterials with excellent performance.