Synthesis of hierarchical Ni(OH)2 hollow nanorod via chemical bath deposition and its glucose sensing performance

•Direct growth of hierarchical Ni(OH)2 hollow nanorods on electrode surface via chemical bath deposition.•The Ni(OH)2 hollow nanorods demonstrate a wide linear detection range with low detection limit for glucose sensing.•The sensor shows excellent sensing performance even though the temperature is higher than 50°C. Hierarchical Ni(OH)2 hollow nanorods were deposited on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods by using a chemical bath deposition. The ZnO template was electrodeposited on ITO-glass and removed using an alkaline solution, and then, the hierarchical structure of the hollow Ni(OH)2 consisted of nanoflakes was obtained. The morphology of the Ni(OH)2 was confirmed via scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and its composition was determined via X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Ni(OH)2 hollow nanorods exhibited a hierarchical structure with a large specific surface area and a high level of electrocatalytic activity for glucose oxidation in an alkaline condition. The Ni(OH)2 hollow nanorod arrays had a wide detection range from 2 to 3862μM, with a detection limit of 0.6μM (s/n=3). Furthermore, the modified electrode could detect glucose at a temperature as high as 75°C with a sensitivity of 2904.9μAmM−1cm−2. The glucose sensor showed excellent selectivity in the presence of several interfering electroactive species, and it can therefore be used to detect glucose in human serum samples.