Fixure-reduce method for the synthesis of Cu2O/MWCNTs nanocomposites and its application as enzyme-free glucose sensor

Cu2O/MWCNT (multi-walled carbon nanotubes) nanocomposites were successfully prepared in large quantities with a new fixure-reduction method under low temperature. The morphology and shape of the Cu2O/MWCNTs nanocomposites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopes (FESEMs), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the Cu2O/MWCNTs nanocomposites modified electrode towards glucose. Compared to the bare GCE, the Cu2O nanoparticles and the MWCNTs modified electrode, the Cu2O/MWCNTs modified electrode displays high electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of glucose. With a potential of −0.20 V, the Cu2O/MWCNTs modified electrode was used to determine glucose by amperometric, showing significantly lower overvoltage and a linear dependence (R = 0.9958) in the concentration up to 10 μM with a sensitivity of 6.53 μA μmol L−1 and a detection limit of 0.05 μmol L−1 (signal-to-noise ratio of 3). In summary, the preparation process of the nanocomposites is very simple and the nanocomposites could be used for the development of enzyme-free glucose sensor.