Tetrahedrally modified MnMe0.1Co1.9O4 (Me = Zn, Mg, Li) spinels for non-enzymatic glucose sensing

•Tetrahedrally modified MnMe0.1Co1.9O4 (Me = Zn, Mg, Li) spinels were prepared via the sol–gel synthesis.•The influence of partial substitution of cobalt in MnCo2O4 spinel on physicochemical properties is shown.•MnLi0.1Co1.9O4 exhibits the highest glucose-sensing ability among studied samples. In this work, tetrahedrally modified MnMe0.1Co1.9O4 (Me = Zn, Mg, Li) spinels were prepared via the sol–gel synthesis method with subsequent ball-milling fragmentation. The prepared samples were evaluated as glucose–sensing catalyst. The reference MnCo2O4 spinel exhibited a sensitivity of 49µA mM−1 cm−2 and a nonlinearity error of 5.2% in the response range from 0.02 to 1 mM. The partial substitution of cobalt in the reference spinel enhanced the glucose–sensing abilities, and the sample with Li was found to be the most active catalyst, exhibiting a sensitivity of 73.1µAmM−1cm−2. Finally, the proposed material was tested for selectivity in the presence of interfering sucrose.