Pt-Pb alloy nanoparticle/carbon nanotube nanocomposite: a strong electrocatalyst for glucose oxidation

A Pt-Pb alloy nanoparticle/multi-walled carbon nanotube (Pt-Pb/MWCNT) nanocomposite was prepared by electrodepositing Pt-Pb alloy onto MWCNTs that were vertically aligned on Ta plates. The 10-40 nm diameter Pt-Pb alloy nanoparticles were mainly deposited at the tips, and sparsely dispersed on the sidewalls of the bamboo-like MWCNTs, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray diffraction. The high resolution TEM (HRTEM) image showed a snowflake-like morphology for the Pt-Pb nanoparticles. This Pt-Pb/MWCNT nanocomposite exhibited much stronger electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation than pristine MWCNTs, Pt-Pb on glassy carbon, and Pt/MWCNT and Au/MWCNT nanocomposites, in both neutral and alkaline solutions. This Pt-Pb/MWCNT nanocomposite electrode is hence promising for development as a nonenzymatic glucose sensor.