One-pot synthesis of Mn3O4 nanoparticles decorated with nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide for sensitive nonenzymatic glucose sensing

• Mn3O4 nanoparticles decorated with nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide are prepared.
• As a sensitive sensing material, a non-enzymatic glucose sensor is fabricated.
• The proposed sensor shows excellent performances for glucose measurement.
• This novel sensor is successfully used to determine glucose in blood sample.

Mn3O4 nanoparticles decorated with nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (Mn3O4NP/N-rGO) were produced by a facile hydrothermal method. It was further used as a novel sensing material for constructing a sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor. Compared with pure Mn3O4, Mn3O4NP/N-rGO showed excellent electro-catalytic activity for glucose oxidation due to the instruction of N-rGO, which exhibited the response current of glucose ca. 20-fold higher than that of the bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The proposed sensor showed excellent performances for glucose measurement, including wide linear range of 1.0–329.5 μM, low detection limit (0.5 μM, S/N = 3), high sensitivity (0.026 μA/μM), fast response time (5 s), and good selectivity to the general co-existing interferences. Such properties would promote the Mn3O4NP/N-rGO as enhanced materials in preparing sensors for chemical and biochemical applications.