A coaxial nanocable textured by a cerium oxide shell and carbon core for sensing nitric oxide.

A corn-like CeO/C coaxial cable textured by a cerium oxide shell and a carbon core was designed to sense NO. The carbon core possesses high electrical conductivity, and the CeO surface delivers excellent electrocatalytic activity. The sensor, typically operated at 0.8 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), exhibits a detection limit of 1.7 nM, which is 4-times lower than that of CeO nanotubes based one (at S/N = 3). It also displays wide linear response (up to 83 μM), a sensitivity of 0.81 μA μM cm, and fast response (2 s). These values are highly competitive to that of a CeO tube (0.92 μA μM cm and 2 s). The sensor was used to quantify NO that is released by Aspergillus flavus. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of corn-like CeO/C which can more sensitively and effectively detect NO released from A. flavus than when using CeO nanotubes, benefitting from its unique coaxial cable structure.