CuO nanostructures on N-doped carbon cloth for flexible enzyme-free glucose sensing.

[Display omitted] • N-doped carbon cloth provided more active sites for the growth of CuO. • Two CuO nanostructures were prepared and their growth mechanisms were studied. • The electrochemical properties of CuO modified electrodes were studied. • The CuO nanorods modified electrode showed high sensitivity for glucose sensing. The optimization of sensing material nanostructures can improve the interfacial properties sensing materials, which is an effective tactic for enhancing the sensing performance of materials. In this study, different CuO nanostructures were in situ grown onto N-doped carbon cloth (NCC) by hydrothermal method as modified electrodes for glucose sensor. The use of NCC endowed the electrodes with excellent flexibility and conductivity, and also provided more attachment points for the growth of CuO nanostructures. Meanwhile, CuO nanostructures could be regulated by the addition of organic acid as structural inducers, and the glucose sensing performances of electrodes modified by different CuO nanostructures were studied. The results showed that CuO nanostructures were uniformly grown on NCC, and the optimized CuO nanostructure had a smaller size and a higher electrochemical active area. The modified electrode with the optimized CuO nanostructures exhibited good electrochemical performances, high sensitivity of 6.408 mA cm−2 mM−1, low detection limit of 0.33 μM and excellent stability for glucose sensing. This work presents an effective and simple method for preparing flexible self-supporting electrodes with controllable nanostructures and good interface properties, expanding a potential pathway for the development of flexible glucose sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]