Novel hierarchical CuNiAl LDH nanotubes with excellent peroxidase-like activity for wide-range detection of glucose

Abstract

Novel hierarchical CuNiAl layered double hydroxide (CuNiAl LDH) nanotubes were prepared with in situ transformation of Al₂O₃ produced using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. Based on the characterizations using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), FT-IR spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), CuNiAl LDH displays a typical nanotube-like structure consisting of uniform ultrathin nanoflakes. It is also confirmed that nitrate precursors play a crucial role in the formation of the LDH hierarchical structure. The unique hierarchical tube-like structure for CuNiAl LDH can supply more active sites and higher surface areas, leading to outstanding peroxidase mimicking property. The kinetic analyses indicate that the catalytic behavior of CuNiAl LDH follows classic Michaelis–Menten models and the affinity of CuNiAl LDH to the substrate is significantly higher than horseradish peroxidase. A simple and label-free method was developed for the colorimetric detection of glucose. As low as 2.9 μM of glucose can be detected with a broad linear range from 10 to 200 μM. The established method is also proved to be suitable for glucose detection in juice samples.