Localized photothermal effect of CoO nanowires boosts catalytic performance in glucose electrochemical detection

Co 3 O 4 has been explored extensively for the electrochemical detection of glucose, however, it suffers from limited performance due to the poor electrical conductivity originating from its semiconductor nature. While the photothermal effect (PE) localized on the electrode surface has been demonstrated as an attractive strategy for enhancing water electrolysis, it has received little attention in the context of electrochemical detection of glucose. In this study, a one-stone-two-birds strategy to integrate PE and the electrocatalytic activity of Co 3 O 4 nanowire arrays supported on nickel foam (Co 3 O 4 NWs/NF) was proposed for the electrochemical detection of glucose. Under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, the temperature of the Co 3 O 4 NWs/NF electrode was elevated, along with an enlarged electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and accelerated electron transfer process. PE-assisted Co 3 O 4 NWs/NF (PE-Co 3 O 4 NWs/NF) shows high performance in glucose sensing, with a wide linear range from 1 μM to 0.73 mM, an excellent sensitivity of 26.17 mA mM −1 cm −2 and a low limit of detection of 0.56 μM. Moreover, PE-Co 3 O 4 NWs/NF shows good feasibility and reliability for glucose determination in human serum samples. This work proposes a photothermal electrocatalytic dual functional system for the electrochemical sensing of glucose and provides a novel approach to boosting Co 3 O 4 catalytic activity in glucose detection. Localized photothermal effect endows Co 3 O 4 nanowires with larger electrochemical surface area and higher electric conductivity in process of glucose oxidation, giving rise to an improved performance in glucose sensing.