One-step and rapid synthesis of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene for hydrogen peroxide and glucose sensing

Nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) heteroatoms co-doping has been confirmed to be an effective strategy to significantly promote the electrocatalytic activity of graphene. However, developing N, S co-doped graphene (NS-G) with a high doping level at low cost remains a great challenge. Meanwhile, NS-G has rarely been investigated for electrochemical sensing. Here, a one-step and cost-effective microwave-assisted solvothermal method was developed to synthesize NS-G having a high N, S-doping level (N: 6.8 at.%, S: 2.1 at.%). When employed as an electrocatalyst for H2O2 reduction, NS-G exhibited a higher electrocatalytic activity than its undoped or mono-doped counterparts due to the synergistic effect of N, S co-doping. Consequently, the sensors based on NS-G displayed good sensing performances for sensitive detection of H2O2 (0.1-16.6 mM in linear range, 0.2 mu M in detection limit) and glucose (0.1-12.6 mM, 0.5 mu M), demonstrating the potential application of NS-G for electrochemical sensing. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.