Hierarchical Co3O4/CuO nanorod array supported on carbon cloth for highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose biosensing

A hierarchical core-shell Co3O4/CuO nanorod array (NRA) anchored on flexible carbon cloth (CC) has been fabricated through a stepwise process consisting of magnetron sputtering of Cu, its anodic oxidation, and chemical bath deposition of Co3O4. The structure, composition and morphology of the synthesized Co3O4/CuO NRA on CC were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The glucose sensing performance of the Co3O4/CuO NRA on CC electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 5405 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2) with a fast response time (t(90) = 1.9 s) and a low detection limit of 0.38 mu M. The electrode also showed outstanding selectivity toward various interferences. These results indicate that the Co3O4/CuO nanocomposites may be promising electrode materials for electrochemical biosensing.