1D Zn2GeO4 rods supported on Ni foam for high performance non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensor

One-dimensional (1D) Zn 2 GeO 4 rods were in-situ grown on Ni foam (NF) using a ethylenediamine (En)/water mixed solvent by a hydrothermal route in one single step. Such rhombohedral phase Zn 2 GeO 4 rods are 1–2 μm in diameter and a few micrometers in length. Ethylenediamine is found to play a critical role in coordinating with starting zinc and germanium ions and acting as template. The Zn 2 GeO 4 /NF was developed as a new none-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) sensor. In electrochemical studies, the Zn 2 GeO 4 /NF electrode exhibits high sensitivity (3974 μM mM −1  cm −2 ), wide linear detection range (1–4000 μM), fast response (<9 s), low detection limit (1 μM), excellent selectivity and stability towards H 2 O 2 . Several factors such as intrinsic nature of Zn 2 GeO 4 , the unique microstructure and the seamless contact with NF are believed to attributed to the excellent electrochemical sensing performances.