Fabrication of Non-enzymatic Ni-Au Alloy Nanowire Glucose Sensor

We fabricated a non-enzymatic Ni-Au alloy nanowire electrochemical glucose sensor on a p-silicon-based anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The advantages of the Ni-Au glucose sensor arc its high sensitivity and stability, and fast reaction. In contrast to a traditional enzymatic glucose sensor, the non-enzymatic glucose sensor is reusable, enabling its long-term use by patients with diabetes. Although the reduction voltages of Ni and Au are considerably different, the Ni-Au alloy nanowires used in the sensor were fabricated successfully via the adjustment of the electrodeposition parameters. The Ni-Au alloy nanowires exhibited a high crystallinity and a uniform arrangement with an average height of 750 nm. The Ni-Au alloy glucose sensor exhibited a linear range of 0-3 mM, a sensitivity of 1893 mu A/mMcm(2), and a detection limit of 1 mu M. Superior selectivity and stability over at least 30 days were also observed. The characteristics show that Ni-Au alloy nanowires have excellent glucose-sensing performance compared with single noble metal nanowires. The silicon-based AAO template also serves as a strong mechanical support of the Ni-Au nanowires used for sensing. To our knowledge, our fabricated sensor is the first non-enzymatic glucose sensor to use Ni-Au alloy nanowires.