One-step synthesis of Pt–NiO nanoplate array/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for nonenzymatic glucose sensing

Abstract

This work reports a one-step synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported platinum–nickel oxide nanoplate arrays (denoted as Pt–NiO/rGO) for nonenzymatic glucose sensing. The prepared Pt–NiO/rGO nanocomposite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry, and X-ray powder diffraction. The existence of a small quantity of Pt could significantly enhance the catalytic activity of NiO and played an important role in controlling the morphology of Pt–NiO nanoplate arrays. The vertical array structure of the Pt–NiO/rGO nanocomposite increased the effective loading of the Pt–NiO catalyst on the electrode surface to some extent. Therefore, the Pt–NiO/rGO modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was successfully used for highly sensitive and selective nonenzymatic glucose detection. The linear range was from 0.008 to 14.5 mM (R² = 0.9976, n = 41). The sensitivity was 832.95 μA cm⁻² mM⁻¹ and the detection limit was 2.67 μM (S/N = 3). The good catalytic activity and high sensitivity and stability make the Pt–NiO/rGO/GCE sensor a new kind of hybrid material for the electrochemical detection of glucose.