Cu microspheres decorated ZnO@CNT/Carbon cloth flexible biosensor for simultaneous determination of glucose and uric acid

It is extremely important to simultaneously detection different biomarkers in various biological systems. Hereby, we have developed an original flexible nonenzymatic glucose and uric acid sensor using carbon cloth loaded with copper microspheres (Cu MSs) and ZnO nanoparticles decorated single-walled carbon nanotubes (Cu MSs/ZnO@CNTs/CC). Firstly, ZnO@CNTs was synthesized via sol–gel method, and then Cu MSs were uniformly electrodeposited on ZnO@CNTs/CC substrate rapidly. Morphological and compositional characteristics were examined to confirm the successful decoration of Cu microspheres and ZnO nanoparticles. Importantly, the nanocomposite electrode displayed remarkable electrocatalytic activity for glucose and UA, including wide linear detection range, low detection limit, outstanding sensitivity, respectively. Moreover, the nanostructure biosensor exhibited fast response time (0.1 s) and favorable long-term stability, which are attributed to synergistic catalytic effects: (a) the large specific surface area of CNTs offered abundant sites for the decoration of ZnO nanoparticles, and (b) the rough nanosheets assembled Cu microspheres could expose plentiful active sites. Finally, in practical serum samples, the sensor also exhibits considerably favorable precision and accuracy. As such, the novel flexible Cu MSs/ZnO@CNTs/CC sensor developed with economical and efficient preparation method provided a new easy and sensitive platform for glucose and UA determination in real application.