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Enzyme-free electrocatalytic sensing of hydrogen peroxide using a glassy carbon electrode modified with cobalt nanoparticle-decorated tungsten carbide

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Abstract

An efficient non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was constructed by modifying a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with a nanocomposite prepared from cobalt nanoparticle (CoNP) and tungsten carbide (WC). The nanocomposite was prepared at low temperature through a simple technique. Its crystal structure, surface morphology and elemental composition were investigated via X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed the composite to be uniformly distributed and that the CoNP are well attached to the surface of the flake-like WC. Electrochemical studies show that the modified GCE has an improved electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of H2O2. H2O2 can be selectively detected, best at a working voltage of −0.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), with a 6.3 nM detection limit over the wide linear range from 50 nM to 1.0 mM. This surpasses previously reported non-enzymatic H2O2 sensors. The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of H2O2 in contact lens solutions and in spiked serum samples.

Schematic presentation of a method for electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide in real samples using cobalt nanoparticle decorated tungsten carbide (WCC) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE).

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan through contract no. MOST 107-2113-M-027-005-MY3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Muthaiah Annalakshmi, Paramasivam Balasubramanian, Shen-Ming Chen & Tse-Wei Chen

  2. Research and Development Center for Smart Textile Technology, National Taipei University of Technology, No.1, Section 3, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Tse-Wei Chen

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  1. Muthaiah Annalakshmi
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  2. Paramasivam Balasubramanian
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  3. Shen-Ming Chen
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Correspondence to Shen-Ming Chen.

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Annalakshmi, M., Balasubramanian, P., Chen, SM. et al. Enzyme-free electrocatalytic sensing of hydrogen peroxide using a glassy carbon electrode modified with cobalt nanoparticle-decorated tungsten carbide. Microchim Acta 186, 265 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3377-x

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