Facile synthesis of novel areca flower like CuO nanowire on copper foil for a highly sensitive enzyme-free glucose sensor.

The areca flower like CuO nanowire on Cu foil (AFL CuO NW@Cu) was synthesized by electrochemical anodization and thermal treatment, a simple and low-cost method. Composition and morphology of the AFL CuO NW@Cu were characterized by XRD, Raman, and SEM respectively. The copper substrate as the current collector played a key function as a source for the formation of areca flower like CuO nanowire. The CuO nanowire was grown on Cu foil and could connect with the Cu substrate without using any binder. The AFL CuO NW@Cu was utilized as an electrochemical enzyme-free sensor for glucose detection. This AFL CuO NW@Cu material showed the remarkably high sensitivity of 4.06 mA·mM·cm and low limit of detection of 0.58 μM (S/N = 3). Excellent stability and highly selective ability were also reported by employing AFL CuO NW@Cu as the active material in the sensor. Besides, this enzyme-free glucose sensor showed a strong capability for detecting glucose concentration in human blood serum samples with a relative standard deviation of <11.3% (n = 3). Thus, the AFL CuO NW@Cu will become a potential enzyme-free glucose sensor.