Direct growth of flower like-structured CuFe oxide on graphene supported nickel foam as an effective sensor for glucose determination.

In this report, a novel flower like-structured CuFe oxides was directly grown on graphene nanosheets supported nickel foam substrates (CuFe-O/GR/NF) via a hydrothermal method followed by an additionally pyrolysis process. The different morphologies consistent with varied synthesis conditions, along with their catalytic activity were discussed. The CuFe-O/GR/NF material was successfully applied as an electrocatalyst for sensing glucose with a wide linear concentration range of 0.0079 μM-21.504 μM, sensitivity of 0.368 mA μM cm, and limit of detection of 0.0079 μM. Impressively, the CuFe-O/GR/NF showed much higher electrocatalytic activity, lower overpotential and greater stability as compared to that of mono Cu-O/GR/NF or Fe-O/GR/NF synthesized by the same method. The higher electrocatalytic activity was due to the high electron conductivity, large surface area of CuFe-O/GR/NF and the fast ion/electron transport in the electrode and at the electrolyte-electrode interface. This is important for further development of high performance electrocatalysts for sensor application.