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We report on the fabrication of nanostructured CeO-gold electrodes by means of laser ablation. The synthetic conditions were varied in order to obtain different morphologies of CeO. The physical and chemical properties of the samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The effect of the morphology of CeO on the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose were studied by cyclic voltammetry and square-wave voltammetry. Among the various electrodes fabricated, the CeO coating produced under 10 mTorr of oxygen showed the best supporting catalytic properties for gold by displaying 44 μA cm mM sensitivity for glucose oxidation at near neutral pH values. The detection limit is as low as 10 μM. This electrochemical activity makes the optimized nanostructured electrode potentially useful for non-enzymatic sensing of glucose. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An advanced carbon paper (CP) macro-substrate (current collector)/submicro-carbon sphere chains, CSCs (catalyst support)/Au (nanocatalyst) architecture was designed and constructed. Gold was deposited onto the surface of CSCs (several microns in length) through pulsed laser deposition to produce a porous ultra-thin film. In sulfuric acid solution, the CSC/Au electrode exhibited a high real surface area of about 36 times higher than that exhibited by a Au wire electrode. The potential utility of the CSC/Au electrode was demonstrated by investigating the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose, an important clinical biomolecule for both biosensors and implantable biofuel cells. The CSC/Au electrode displayed a prominent response towards the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose with a peak current of about 676 times superior to that delivered by a Au wire electrode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]