Nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor based on novel Pt–Pd nanoflakes

The sluggish kinetic-controlled glucose oxidation reaction on Pt electrodes is well recognized as the most critical issue that blocks the development and commercialization of enzyme-free glucose sensors, and increasing attention is being focused on improving the analytical performances of these nonenzymatic sensors through exploring new Pt-based catalysts. In the present research, we synthesized novel Pt–Pd nanoflakes (Pt–Pd NFs) with three-dimensional architectures on a homemade screen-printed gold film electrode (SPGFE) substrate using a facile electrochemical deposition without any template, and further investigated the properties of the as-fabricated Pt–Pd NFs/SPGFE for enzymeless glucose detection. The results reveal that the proposed Pt–Pd nanostructure can provide preeminent electrocatalytic activity and excellent selectivity for enzyme-free glucose sensing under simulative physiological conditions, mainly attributing to its attractive structure, large active surface and appropriate applied potential. The resulting Pt–Pd NFs/SPGFE offers linear current responses for glucose with the concentration upper limit to 16 mM. The obtained sensitivity is calculated to be as high as 48.0 μA cm−2 mM−1 in the presence of 0.15 M chlorides ions, and practical applications for blood sample analysis are also demonstrated. The proposed Pt–Pd structure is considered as a great potential building block for the fabrication of nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose sensors.