Facile fabrication of 3D layer-by-layer graphene-gold nanorod hybrid architecture for hydrogen peroxide based electrochemical biosensor

Three-dimensional (3D) layer-by-layer graphene-gold nanorod (GNR) architecture has been constructed. The resulting hybrid nanomaterials’ architecture has been tested for detecting hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) through the electrocatalytic reaction on a three electrode disposable biosensor platform. Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry were used to characterize and assess the performance of the biosensor. The 3D layer-by-layer modified electrode exhibited the highest sensitivity compared to the active carbon, graphene-oxide, cysteine-graphene oxide and GNR coated electrodes. This research explored the feasibility of using the 3D hybrid graphene-GNR as a template for biosensor. The 3D hybrid structure exhibited higher sensitivity than GNRs alone. SEM showed the explanation that GNRs had self-aggregates reducing the contact surface area when coated on the active carbon electrode, while there were no such aggregates in the 3D structure, and TEM illustrated that GNRs dispersed well in the 3D structure. This research demonstrated a better way to prepare well-separated metal nanoparticles by using the 3D layer-by-layer structure. Consequently, other single and bi-metallic metal nanoparticles could be incorporated into such structure. As a practical example, 3D layer-by-layer nanomaterials modified active carbon electrode was used for detecting glucose showing very good sensitivity and minimum interference by ascorbic acid and uric acid in test solution, which indicated a good selectivity of the biosensor as well.