Preparation of nickel nanoparticle/graphene composites for non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose biosensor applications

• Graphene oxide (GO) and [Ni(N2H4)x]2+ are used as precursors.
• The urchin-like NiNPs were uniformly distributed and embedded throughout graphene.
• The obtained NiNPs/GNs composites exhibited high electrocatalytic activity.
• The biosensor exhibited high sensitivity for glucose with a low detection limit.

A novel non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor device was fabricated for glucose detection based on nickel nanoparticles/graphene nanosheets (NiNPs/GNs) composites, which were synthesized through in situ chemical reduction procedure. The NiNPs/GNs composites modified electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity and good response toward the oxidation of glucose in alkaline solution, attributing to the synergistic effect of GNs and NiNPs. At detection potential of +0.5 V, the biosensor exhibited high sensitivity of 865 μA mM−1 cm−2 for glucose with a wide linear range from 5 μM to 550 μM as well as a low detection limit of 1.85 μM (at a signal-to-noise ratio(S/N) of 3). The good analytical performance, low cost and simple fabrication procedure make this novel electrode material promising for the development of effective non-enzymatic glucose sensor.

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