Immobilization of Air-Stable Copper Nanoparticles on Graphene Oxide Flexible Hybrid Films for Smart Clothes

Through the use of organic/inorganic hybrid dispersants—which are composed of polymeric dispersant and two-dimension nanomaterial graphene oxide (GO)—copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were found to exhibit nano stability, air-stable characteristics, as well as long-term conductive stability. The polymeric dispersant consists of branched poly(oxyethylene)-segmented esters of trimellitic anhydride adduct (polyethylene glycol−trimethylolpropane−trimellitic anhydride, designated as PTT). PTT acts as a stabilizer for CuNPs, which are synthesized via in situ polymerization and redox reaction of the precursor Cu(CH₃COO)₂ within an aqueous system, and use graphene oxide to avoid the reduction reaction of CuNPs. The results show that after 30 days of storage the CuNPs/PTT/GO composite film maintains a highly conductive network (9.06 × 10⁻¹ Ω/sq). These results indicate that organic/inorganic PTT/GO hybrid dispersants can effectively maintain the conductivity stability of CuNPs and address the problem of CuNP oxidation. Finally, the new CuNPs/PTT/GO composite film was applied to the electrocardiogram (ECG) smart clothes. This way, a stable and antioxidant-sensing electrode can be produced, which is expected to serve as a long-term ECG monitoring device.

Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensors Involving Copper: An Electrochemical Perspective

Non-enzymatic glucose sensors based on the use of copper and its oxides have emerged as promising candidates to replace enzymatic glucose sensors owing to their stability, ease of fabrication, and superior sensitivity. This review explains the theories of the mechanism of glucose oxidation on copper transition metal electrodes. It also presents an overview on the development of among the best non-enzymatic copper-based glucose sensors in the past 10 years. A brief description of methods, interesting findings, and important performance parameters are provided to inspire the reader and researcher to create new improvements in sensor design. Finally, several important considerations that pertain to the nano-structuring of the electrode surface is provided.

A Conformable, Gas-Permeable, and Transparent Skin-Like Micromesh Architecture for Glucose Monitoring

Monitoring the concentration of useful biomarkers via electronic skins (e-skins) is highly important for the development of wearable health management systems. While some biosensor e-skins with high flexibility, sensitivity, and stability have been developed, little attention has been paid to their long-term comfortability and optical transparency. Here, a conformable, gas permeable, and transparent skin-like Cu₂ O@Ni micromesh structural glucose monitoring patch is reported. With its self-supporting micromesh structure, the skin-like glucose monitoring patch exhibits excellent shape conformability, high gas permeability, and high optical transmittance. The skin-like glucose biosensor achieves real-time monitoring of glucose concentrations with high sensitivity (15 420 µA cm^{- 2} mM^{- 1} ), low detection limit (50 nM), fast response time (＜2 s), high selectivity, and long-term stability. These desirable performance properties arise from the synergistic effects of the self-supporting micromesh configuration, high conductivity of the metallic Ni micromesh, and high electrocatalytic activities of the Cu₂ O toward glucose. This work presents a versatile and efficient strategy for constructing conformable, gas permeable, and transparent biosensor e-skins with excellent practicability towards wearable electronics.

A novel non-enzymatic glucose electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity and selectivity based on CdIn2O4nanoparticles on 3D Ni foam substrate

Due to the poor conductivity of Fe based, Cu based and Co based electrode materials commonly used in the electrochemical detection of glucose, and the uneven stirring and poor conductivity of the traditional preparation method based on glassy carbon electrode. In order to solve the above problems, in this work, CdIn₂O₄with high electrical conductivity was directly grown on three-dimensional (3D) Ni foam to prepare electrode materials for non-enzymatic glucose sensors. CdIn₂O₄nanoparticles is prepared from cadmium acetate and indium nitrate hydrate in benzyl alcohol by non-aqueous sol-gel method. The electrocatalytic oxidation performances of CdIn₂O₄electrode material for non-enzymatic glucose are studied. The results show that the proposed CdIn₂O₄electrode material has good electrochemical properties and sensing performance for glucose detection. The electrochemical response of CdIn₂O₄electrode material to glucose is recorded that calibration plot for glucose concentrations ranging from 1.0μM to 1.0 mM (R² = 0.99), a limit detection of 0.08μM, an excellent sensitivity of 3.2925 mA.mM^-1.cm^-2, a rapid response time of 1.58 s, a good selectivity and a good long-term stability. These demonstrate the significant potential of CdIn₂O₄electrode material based on 3D Ni foam as non-enzymatic glucose sensors, which makes it possible to use it as a practical glucose detector. This work could introduce a new concept of nanoparticles modified electrode material grown directly on 3D Ni foam, thus a simple and reliable electrochemical glucose sensor platform is realized. This study was completed in 2019 in the school of materials and energy, Yunnan University.

Recent Advances in Nanomaterial-Enabled Wearable Sensors: Material Synthesis, Sensor Design, and Personal Health Monitoring

Wearable sensors have gained much attention due to their potential in personal health monitoring in a timely, cost-effective, easy-operating, and noninvasive way. In recent studies, nanomaterials have been employed in wearable sensors to improve the sensing performance in view of their excellent properties. Here, focus is mainly on the nanomaterial-enabled wearable sensors and their latest advances in personal health monitoring. Different kinds of nanomaterials used in wearable sensors, such as metal nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials, metallic nanomaterials, hybrid nanocomposites, and bio-nanomaterials, are reviewed. Then, the progress of nanomaterial-based wearable sensors in personal health monitoring, including the detection of ions and molecules in body fluids and exhaled breath, physiological signals, and emotion parameters, is discussed. Furthermore, the future challenges and opportunities of nanomaterial-enabled wearable sensors are discussed.

Hierarchically porous CuO spindle-like nanosheets grown on a carbon cloth for sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensoring

Herein, porous CuO spindle-like nanosheets were fabricated on a carbon cloth using a facile hydrothermal method, and surface morphology, microstructure, and glucose sensing performance were studied. The porous spindle-like nanosheets are constructed by nanoparticles and slit-like pores, exhibiting a hierarchical structure. When used for non-enzymatic glucose sensoring, the obtained CuO nanosheet electrode exhibits a wide linear range from 0.05 to 3.30 mM, a high sensitivity of 785.2 μA mM^-1 cm^-2 and a low detection limit of 0.22 μM (S/N = 3). Besides, good selectivity, stability, and reproducibility for glucose detection indicate a promising application of CuO nanosheet electrodes as non-enzymatic glucose sensors.

Generalized Modeling Framework of Metal Oxide-Based Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensors: Concepts, Methods, and Challenges

Glucose sensors have transformed diabetes control. Most glucose sensors are enzymatic, but a non-enzymatic metal oxide-based glucose sensor on a nanostructured substrate is of considerable interest for future always-on wearable closed-loop sensing for hypoglycemia management. Recently, various research groups have demonstrated that different nanostructured substrates (fabricated by a variety of innovative techniques) boost the sensitivity of non-enzymatic glucose sensor. In this work, we develop a physics-based model to correlate the geometrical and chemical design parameters to the non-linear amperometric response of non-enzymatic glucose sensor on geometrically complex substrates. Using this model, we can interpret the scattered results in the literature within a common conceptual framework. Our results show that while non-enzymatic glucose sensor still does not have sufficient dynamic range to replace the classical blood glucose sensors, these sensors could be useful for low concentration glucose sensing applications involving sweat, saliva, and ocular fluid. Our model will predictably improve the design of non-enzymatic glucose sensors for the integration into a continuous glucose monitoring system embedded in wearable and implantable platforms.

Facile Fabrication of NiO-Decorated Double-Layer Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Buckypaper for Glucose Detection

A novel NiO-decorated flexible buckypaper (NiO-BP) was fabricated by a simple and scalable vacuum filtration method for electrochemical detection of glucose. The NiO-BP consists of two layers: one side is composed of purified single-walled carbon nanotubes, serving as the supporting layer, whereas the other side comprises NiO-loaded single-walled carbon nanotubes, serving as the catalyst layer. The morphology and structure of NiO-BP were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The fabricated NiO-BP was applied to the electrochemical detection of glucose. Under optimized conditions, the sensor exhibited a wide linear range of 0.1-9 mM for the determination of glucose with high sensitivity (2701 μA mM^-1 cm^-2) and a short response time (<2.5 s). The present work reveals that the buckypaper with a unique double-layer structure is promising for wearable biosensors.

Facile Synthesis of Cu2O@TiO2-PtCu Nanocomposites as a Signal Amplification Strategy for the Insulin Detection

Novel ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor was proposed for the quantitative detection of insulin, a representative biomarker for diabetes. To this end, molybdenum disulfide nanosheet-loaded gold nanoparticles (MoS₂/Au NPs) were used as substrates to modify bare glassy carbon electrodes. MoS₂/Au NPs not only present superior biocompatible and large specific surface area to enhance the loading capacity of primary antibody (Ab₁) but also present good electrical conductivity to accelerate electron transfer rate. Moreover, the amino-functionalized cuprous oxide decorated with titanium dioxide octahedral composites (Cu₂O@TiO₂-NH₂) were prepared to load dendritic platinum-copper nanoparticles (PtCu NPs) to realize signal amplification strategy. The resultant nanocomposites (cuprous oxide decorated with titanium dioxide octahedral loaded dendritic platinum-copper nanoparticles) demonstrate uniform octahedral morphology and size, which effectively increases the catalytically active sites and specific surface area to load the secondary antibody (Ab₂), even increases conductivity. Most importantly, the resultant nanocomposites possess superior electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) reduction, which present the signal amplification strategy. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed immunosensor exhibited a linear relationship between logarithm of insulin antigen concentration and amperometric response within a broad range from 0.1 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL and a limit detection of 0.024 pg/mL. Meanwhile, the immunosensor was employed to detect insulin in human serum with satisfactory results. Furthermore, it also presents good reproducibility, selectivity, and stability, which exhibits broad application prospects in biometric analysis.

In situ formation of metal–organic framework derived CuO polyhedrons on carbon cloth for highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensing

A facile in situ synthetic strategy to construct MOF-derived porous CuO polyhedrons on carbon cloth for highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensing.

Superficial fabrication of gold nanoparticles modified CuO nanowires electrode for non-enzymatic glucose detection

This paper describes a low-cost facile method to construct gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) modified copper oxide (CuO) nanowires (NWs) electrode on copper foil for the detection of glucose. Copper foil has been converted to aligned CuO NWs arrays by sequential formation of Cu(OH)₂ followed by heat treatment induced phase transformation to CuO. Au NPs are deposited on CuO NWs via simple reductive solution chemistry to impart high surface to volume ratio and enhanced catalytic activity of the resulting electrode. Structure, microstructure and morphology of Cu, Cu(OH)₂ NWs, CuO NWs, and Au NPs modified CuO NWs are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The homogeneous distribution of Au NPs (average diameter ∼12 nm) on CuO NWs (average diameter 100 nm and aspect ratio ∼20) is confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and elemental mapping. This CuO based glucose detection method gives the highest sensitivity along with the maximum linearity range. This non-enzymatic glucose sensor based on Au modified CuO NWs electrode gives broad linearity range from 0.5 μM to 5.9 mM. The sensor exhibits sensitivity of 4398.8 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻², lower detection limit of 0.5 μM, and very fast response time of ∼5 s. Properties of the proposed glucose sensor are also investigated in human blood and it is found that the sensor is highly accurate and reliable. In addition, higher sensitivity and lower detection limit confirm that this device is suitable for invasive detection in saliva and urine.

This paper describes a low-cost facile method to construct gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) modified copper oxide (CuO) nanowires (NWs) electrode on copper foil for the detection of glucose.

Direct growth of CuCo2S4 nanosheets on carbon fiber textile with enhanced electrochemical pseudocapacitive properties and electrocatalytic properties towards glucose oxidation

Flexible and wearable electronic devices with excellent performance have been desired for making the next generation of electronic products. Herein, the synthesis of CuCo₂S₄ nanosheets on flexible carbon fiber textile (CFT) by a facile one-step and scalable hydrothermal procedure is reported, which is free from the sulphurization process used in the conventional synthesis of mixed metal sulphospinels. The as-prepared CuCo₂S₄ nanostructures on CFT can provide rich reaction sites and short ion diffusion paths. The CuCo₂S₄ nanosheets are employed as the free-standing electrodes for two different applications: high-performance supercapacitors and non-enzymatic glucose sensors. When employed as a flexible electrode material for supercapacitors, the electrode presents ultrahigh performance in energy storage with a specific capacitance of 3321.6 F g^-1 at 5 A g^-1, which is attributed to the suitable mass loading and special morphology of the as-prepared nanosheets. Remarkably, a specific capacitance of 2931.4 F g^-1 is still retained at the high current density of 30 A g^-1, suggesting its excellent rate capability. The specific capacitance retains 87.1% after 3000 cycles, reflecting excellent cycling performance. For real applications, a flexible symmetric supercapacitor is assembled based on CuCo₂S₄ nanosheets, which achieves a high energy density of 64.6 W h kg^-1 at 499.7 W kg^-1 and a maximum power density of 2081.5 W kg^-1 at 45.1 W h kg^-1. Besides serving as a free-standing electrode for non-enzymatic glucose sensors, CuCo₂S₄ nanosheets have remarkable electrocatalytic activity towards glucose oxidation with a high sensitivity of 3852.7 μA mM^-1 cm^-2 and an extraordinary linear range up to 3.67 mM. The experimental results suggest that CuCo₂S₄ nanosheets are more suitable for non-enzymatic glucose sensors than the related single/binary transition metal oxides/sulfides. Such a superior performance demonstrates that CuCo₂S₄ nanosheets hold great potential for use as flexible multifunctional electronic devices including supercapacitors and non-enzymatic glucose sensors.

Recent advances in electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose sensors - A review

This review encompasses the mechanisms of electrochemical glucose detection and recent advances in non-enzymatic glucose sensors based on a variety of materials ranging from platinum, gold, metal alloys/adatom, non-precious transition metal/metal oxides to glucose-specific organic materials. It shows that the discovery of new materials based on unique nanostructures have not only provided the detailed insight into non-enzymatic glucose oxidation, but also demonstrated the possibility of direct detection in whole blood or interstitial fluids. We critically evaluate various aspects of non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensors in terms of significance as well as performance. Beyond laboratory tests, the prospect of commercialization of non-enzymatic glucose sensors is discussed.

Self-Assembly of Graphene-Encapsulated Cu Composites for Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensing

Cu has recently received great interest as a potential candidate for glucose sensing to overcome the problems with noble metals. In this work, reduced graphene oxide-encapsulated Cu nanoparticles (Cu@RGO) have been prepared via an electrostatic self-assembly method. This core/shell composites were found to be more stable than conventional Cu-decorated graphene composites and bare copper nanoparticles in an air atmosphere because the graphene shell can effectively protect the Cu nanoparticles from oxidation. In addition, the obtained Cu@RGO composites also showed an outstanding electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation with a wide linear detection range of 1 μM to 2 mM, low detection limit of 0.34 μM (S/N = 3), and a sensitivity of 150 μA mM-1 cm-2. Moreover, Cu@RGO composites exhibited a satisfactory reproducibility, selectivity, and long effective performance. These excellent properties indicated that Cu@RGO nanoparticles have great potential application in glucose detection.

Ultrasensitive supersandwich-type biosensor for enzyme-free amplified microRNA detection based on N-doped graphene/Au nanoparticles and hemin/G-quadruplexes

A simple, enzyme-free supersandwich-type biosensor is fabricated for the ultrasensitive detection of microRNAs (miRNAs) using N-doped graphene/Au nanoparticles (NG-AuNPs) and hemin/G-quadruplexes. In the proposed strategy, AuNPs are deposited on the surface of a MoSe₂ modified electrode to immobilize the thiol-modified hairpin probe through the strong Au-S bond. When the target miRNA is added, capture DNA hybridizes with it and unfolds its stem-and-loop structure. The NG-AuNP hybrids are the main amplification element and are modified by hybridization with assistance DNA and the terminus of capture DNA, resulting in the formation of the supersandwich structure. The assistance DNA is embedded into the hemin/G-quadruplex complexes in the presence of hemin and K⁺ to provide an exceptional current signal for the detection of miRNAs. Under the optimized experimental conditions, a detection limit of 0.17 fM is obtained with a linear range of 10 fM-1 nM. In addition, the present biosensor shows outstanding selectivity towards mismatched miRNAs. This biosensor platform successfully realized the combination of the signal amplification technique with the supersandwich structure, providing a promising approach for the detection of miRNA-21 in practical applications.

Nano-composite of Co3O4 and Cu with enhanced stability and catalytic performance for non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensors

A non-enzymatic glucose sensor (Co₃O₄–CuNPs/Pt) was successfully constructed by a dropping method and a potentiostatic deposition technology. This sensor was used successfully for the quantitative analysis of trace glucose in serum sample.

Advances in non-enzymatic glucose sensors based on metal oxides

This review summarizes the advances in non-enzymatic glucose sensors based on different metal oxides (ZnO, CuO/Cu₂O, NiO,etc.) and their composites.

Microwave synthesis of 3D rambutan-like CuO and CuO/reduced graphene oxide modified electrodes for non-enzymatic glucose detection

Illustration of the glucose biosensing mechanism based on CuO/r-GO composites.