Solvothermal synthesis of Cu/Cu2O hollow microspheres for non-enzymatic amperometric glucose sensing

Abstract

In this study, Cu/Cu₂O hollow microspheres (HMs) were fabricated by over-reduction of copper(II) with ethylene glycol under solvothermal conditions. The resultant products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results reveal that the reaction time and temperature play important roles in this system. The growth mechanism of the Cu/Cu₂O HMs is discussed in some detail. The as-prepared Cu/Cu₂O HMs show a higher catalytic activity than that of Cu₂O microspheres and microcubes towards glucose oxidation, which are potential candidates for fundamental studies as well as catalysis, energy storage and conversion, and biomedicine.