Carbon nanohorns enhanced electrochemical properties of Cu-based metal organic framework for ultrasensitive serum glucose sensing

Abstract Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, which can only be controlled by treatment at present. In order to monitor the course of diabetes, it is significantly important to develop a sensor with superior sensitivity, which can detect the glucose accurately and rapidly. In this paper, the copper-based metal organic framework (Cu-MOF) was found to have a significant electrocatalytic effect on glucose, and the synergistic effect of nanocomposite of Cu-MOF and carbon nanohorns (CNHs) was utilized to construct an effective biosensing interface for the glucose. Under the optimal conditions, Cu-MOF/CNHs modified glass carbon electrode (GCE) showed favorable electrochemical properties toward glucose in the wide range from 250 nM to 1.2 mM with a limit of detection of 78 nM (S/N = 3). Meanwhile, the Cu-MOF/CNHs/GCE was applied for the blood glucose analysis and achieved comparable results with clinical method (hexokinase method). The determination of glucose in commercial pear juice also indicated its reliability and accuracy. The proposed strategy not only provided a sensitive detection method for glucose but also paved a new way for the application of metal organic framework.