Ni–Fe hybrid nanocubes: an efficient electrocatalyst for non-enzymatic glucose sensing with a wide detection range

In this communication, for the first time, an easy preparation method of nickel-iron (Ni-Fe) hybrid nanocubes for glucose oxidation, which is highly efficient in alkaline media, is described. As an impressive redox probe for glucose, the Ni-Fe hybrid nanocubes exhibit many remarkable sensing performances, for example, low-response time (7 s), broad detection range (from 10 mu M to 20.5 mM), and low detection limit (0.64 mu M, S/N = 3). The selectivity, reliability and stability of the Ni-Fe hybrid nanocubes for glucose oxidation are also investigated. The glucose sensor based on Ni-Fe hybrid nanocubes shows a superior sensing performance to that of Ni-based or Fe-based electrochemical sensors. Furthermore, the Ni-Fe hybrid nanocubes were used to detect glucose in real samples of human blood serum. All the findings demonstrate that the glucose sensor based on Ni-Fe hybrid nanocubes is successful for glucose detection and shows promise for future applications in medical diagnostics, the food industry and biological processes.