A simple nonenzymatic glucose sensor based on coconut shell charcoal powder-coated nickel foil electrode

In this work, a simple nonenzymatic glucose sensor has been proposed based on coconut shell charcoal (CSC) modified nickel foil as working electrode in a three-electrode electrochemical cell. Charcoal was prepared by the pyrolysis of coconut shells. The most important advantages of coconut shells are cost-effectiveness and their abundance in nature. The morphology and phase of the CSC powder were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The electrochemical performance of the CSC powder coated Nickel foil electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The sensor shows a higher sensitivity of 2.992 mA cm−2 mM−1 in the linear range of 0.5–5.5 mM and slightly lower sensitivity of 1.1526 mA cm−2 mM−1 in the range of 7–18.5 mM glucose concentration with a detection limit of 0.2 mM. The anti-interference property of CSC powder also was investigated and found that the response of interfering species was less significant compared to glucose response. The proposed sensor offers good sensitivity, wide linear range, and a very low response to interfering biomolecules.