A Study on Cu Decorated Anodic TiO2 Nanotubes for Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensing and Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Application

Free-standing, surface-modified TiO2 nanotubes(TNTs) decorated with copper nanostructures have been extensively studied as promising materials for their application in biosensing and photo-electrochemical splitting of water. Here, the TNTs are prepared by electrochemical anodization followed by modification with copper nanostructures via UV-assisted photo-reduction technique. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the structural and morphological properties of the TNTs, along with their tubular architecture and mixed-phase composition of Anatase-Rutile. Energy-dispersive spectroscopic analysis verified the successful deposition of copper. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed an electronic band gap of 3.2 eV. The copper-modified TNTs showed an enhanced sensitivity in the sensing of glucose to the tune of 0.52 mA mM(-1) cm(-2) with a high linear range of 0.5 to 7 mM and showed superior selectivity against interferents. It was found that the modified TNTs exhibited a higher photocurrent response of 1.09 mA cm(-2) compared with pristine TNTs (0.69 mA cm(-2)). These findings indicate the promising potential of copper-modified TNTs for continuous glucose monitoring and photo-electrochemical applications.