Pt-Coated Lipid Nanotubes for Glucose Oxidation in a Neutral Medium

Lipid nanotubes (LNTs) produced by the polymerization of 1,2-bis(10,12-tricosadiynoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine were uniformly coated with a thin film (∼13 nm) of Pt through a two-step reduction of H2PtCl6. The Pt-coated LNTs exhibited a strong catalytic activity toward the oxidation of glucose in a phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at pH 7.4. The Pt-coated LNTs can be used as an electrochemical sensor for measuring the glucose concentrations in physiological fluids and also as an anode for biocompatible glucose fuel cells (GFCs). A membrane-less GFC based on the proposed Pt-coated LNT anode and Fe–Co/carbon cathode produced a high power density of 62 μW/cm2in a PBS solution with 5 mM glucose with an open circuit voltage of 0.3 V.