Fabrication of three dimensional NiO nanosheet arrays on carbon cloth as self-supporting non-enzyme glucose electrochemical biosensor

Abstract

Non-enzyme biosensors have been widely studied due to their advantages of high stability and long service life. However, the poor selectivity and relatively high cost seriously limits the practical application. To address these challenges, the study aims to develop a high-performance, cost-effective non-enzyme glucose biosensor with enhanced selectivity and stability. Herein, a self-supporting electrochemical biosensor based on in situ growth of three-dimensional NiO nanosheet arrays on carbon cloth (CC) was fabricated through hydrothermal and calcination methods. The unique structure of the porous NiO nanosheet arrays, via the formation of C-O-Ni bonds, combined with the carbon cloth substrate, expose more reactive sites, and facilitating rapid electron transport during glucose redox reactions. The biosensor shows a broad detection range of 5–375 and 375–1400 μM, a low detection limit of 1.62 μM, a high sensitivity of 122.45 μA·mM⁻¹·cm⁻² and 12.37 μA·mM⁻¹·cm⁻². Significantly, the as-prepared biosensor shows strong catalytic activity towards glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆), with an apparent Michaelis-Menten constant ($K_M^{\mathrm{app}}$) of 19.61 μmol/L. Additionally, the sensor exhibits excellent selectivity, cycling stability, and reproducibility, enabling accurate quantitative detection of glucose in body fluids. Particularly, the flexible properties offer promising prospects for the development of wearable, non-invasive glucose monitoring devices.