Amperometric glucose sensor based on the Ni(OH) 2 /Al(OH) 4 − electrode obtained from a thin Ni 3 Al foil

Abstract In this report, we present a facile and relatively fast method to roughen the surface of Ni3Al–based intermetallic foil, and test it as an amperometric non-enzymatic glucose sensor. The alloy samples underwent chemical etching in a H3PO4:CH3COOH (HAc):HNO3:H2O (24:1:1:7 in volume) solution in order to achieve a high surface area with more electroactive sites. The Ni(OH)2/Al(OH)4− electrode was fabricated using potential cycling technique in a highly concentrated alkaline solution. The electrodes were tested electrochemically for oxidation of glucose. We have demonstrated that Ni(OH)2/Al(OH)4− electrodes exhibit high sensitivity towards glucose detection (796 μAmM-1cm-2) and short response time (3 s) upon successive addition of glucose. Moreover, as for a non-nanometric material, prepared electrodes show a relatively good linear correlation between current density and glucose concentration (0.025–0.45 mM) and limit of detection (47.6 μM). For more in-depth characterization of presented material, electrodes were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).