Copper-modified titanium phosphate nanoparticles as electrocatalyst for glucose detection

The non-enzymatic determination of glucose is a current trend in analytical chemistry. Copper-based nanomaterials are being widely employed for the fabrication of electrochemical analytical devices for glucose monitoring. In this work, copper-modified titanium phoshate nanoparticles (CuTiPNPs) were synthesized for the first time. Interestingly, CuTiPNPs show an electrocatalytic effect towards the oxidation of glucose. These nanoparticles were characterized by different techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Important information on the structural, morphological, surface and electrochemical properties was obtained. A mechanism involving a Cu(III) species stabilized by phosphate groups of the nanoparticles is proposed for the oxidation of glucose. The analytical performance of 8-channel screen-printed electrodes modified with CuTiPNPs for glucose determination was evaluated. A wide linear range from 25 mu M to 2 mM and a limit of detection of 7 mu M was obtained. The good analytical figures of merit and the good selectivity towards glucose led to the versatile and accurate non-enzymatic glucose determination in real samples such as honey and plasma. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.