Surfactant and binder free hierarchical NCNPs@CuO nanostructures on ITO for the cost effective enzyme-free glucose sensor applications

The rational design and development of surfactant- and binder-free catalytic nanostructures on cost-efficient electrode could establish influential pathways in generating the effectual enzyme-free electrochemical sensing platforms. Accordingly, the cost-efficient flame synthesis strategy is realized for synthesizing nitrogen-doped carbon nanoparticles (NCNPs) on Indium tin oxide (ITO) via the burning of pyrrole under air atmosphere and the growth process is lasted for 3 min. Envisioned with the significant objectives of rapid electron transfer from the core to shell, prevention of the agglomeration of nanoshell architectures, and influential contact of analyte with the core, the development of CuO nanorods on NCNPs in the form of core–shell architecture is accomplished via the hydrothermal technique. The synergistic properties of core and shell architectures and uniform dispersion of electrochemically active and stable sites of NCNPs@CuO catalytically favor the glucose oxidation. Being a glucose sensor, NCNPs@CuO/ITO demonstrates the considerable electro-oxidation performances along with the other constructive features including high selectivity, reproducibility, reusability, and durability, which favor the realization of the practical applicability of fabricated sensor in human serum samples. Thus, the established research effort not only demonstrates a scalable methodology for the synthesis of core–shell architectures but also advances the scopes of cost-efficient glucose detection.