Aligned SWCNT-copper oxide array as a nonenzymatic electrochemical probe of glucose

Copper oxide nanoparticles (COs) were electrochemically deposited on horizontally aligned single-walled carbon nanotube arrays (COs-aSWCNT) on SiO2/Si wafer, where X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that compositions of COs are Cu2O and CuO with a ratio of 2 to 1. The as-prepared COs-aSWCNT electrode exhibited synergistic electrocatalytic activity on the oxidation of glucose in alkaline media with a rapid response time of less than 2 s and a high sensitivity of 16.2 mu A mu M-1. This new sensor has two useful linear regions of glucose concentration and has an experimental detection limit of 20 nM. In the presence of physiological level ascorbic acid (0.1 mM), the experimental detection limit of glucose increases to 50 nM with a sensitivity of 1.31 mu A mu M-1. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.