Facile Synthesis of Au/Ni(OH)2 Nanocomposites and its Application in Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensing

A simple and environment-friendly autocatalytic reduction process was developed for synthesis of Au/Ni(OH) 2 nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found the nanocomposites are composed of ultrathin Ni(OH) 2 nanosheets and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and the AuNPs disperse evenly on the Ni(OH) 2 nanosheets. The electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties of the Au/Ni(OH) 2 modified glassy carbon electrode (Au/Ni(OH) 2 /GCE) were investigated by electrochemical experiments. Furthermore, through optimizing Au loading of the nanocomposites, the 5%-Au/Ni(OH) 2 /GCE displays the best electrocatalytic activity towards glucose oxidization in alkaline medium. Under optimal conditions, the 5%-Au/Ni(OH) 2 /GCE displays a wide linear range of 0.01 to 3.15 mM (R 2  = 0.998) to glucose. Besides, the sensor has a low detection limit of 0.10 μM (S/N = 3) and a high sensitivity of 342.1 μA·mM −1 ·cm −2 . It also displays satisfying stability, good reproducibility and selectivity.