Three-Dimensional Nanoporous Conducting Polymer Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) Decorated with Copper Nanoparticles: Electrochemical Preparation and Enhanced Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensing

Nanoporous conducting polymers have attracted much attention due to their tunable redox performances, outstanding environmental stability, and extensive potential applications. Herein, three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was electrochemically prepared by using a hard-template method, and Cu nanoparticles (CuNPs) were further loaded into the porous PEDOT nanostructure through electrodeposition. Because the 3D nanoporous PEDOT possesses a large surface area and is highly stable and conductive, it provides an excellent substrate for the loading of a large amount of CuNPs. The prepared porous CuNPs/PEDOT nanocomposite exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic property toward the oxidation of glucose owing to its unique microstructure, in which the loaded CuNPs provide many active sites for the oxidation of glucose and the 3D porous structure can facilitate the diffusion of glucose molecules and accelerate electron transfer. Under optimum conditions, the porous nanocomposite-modified electrode displayed a wide linear range for glucose detection from 0.1 to 482.1 μm, with a detection limit of 52 nm. The sensitivity of the glucose sensor (329.6 μA mm−1 cm−2) was about eight times higher than that of an electrode modified with CuNPs on planar PEDOT, which indicates a significant enhancement effect associated with the 3D nanoporous structure.