3D-networked carbon nanotube/diamond core-shell nanowires for enhanced electrochemical performance

Researchers in South Korea have coated carbon nanotubes with nanodiamonds to form a highly sensitive glucose biosensor. The team, led by Dae-Soon Lim at Korea University, deposited a layer of boron-doped diamond nanoparticles onto the outer walls of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. They then confirmed the structure of the resultant nanowires using an electron microscope and measured their electrochemical properties. Next, the team demonstrated that the nanowires exhibit a higher sensitivity to glucose — as well as a significantly lower detection limit — than other existing electrodes. The new nanowires could potentially be used for the noninvasive detection of glucose in human body fluids containing lower concentrations of glucose than blood, such as saliva, tears or sweat. They could help to estimate the size of bacteria populations in sea water, as many bacteria use glucose as an energy source.