Controllable synthesis of silver nanodendrites on copper rod and its application to hydrogen peroxide and glucose detection

Silver nanodendrites were synthesized on Cu rods by a simple and facile displacement reaction without using any surfactants. The morphologies were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The phase analysis of the dendritic nanostructure was revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The element analysis was characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Then a novel Ag nanodendrites/Cu rod electrode (named Ag NDS/CRE) based non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and glucose (GO) sensor was fabricated and evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and typical amperometric response (I–t) method. Exhilaratingly, the electrode shows significant electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of H2O2 and oxidation of GO. Its advantage lies in its wide linear range from 0.2 mM to 19.2 mM for the detection of H2O2 with a low detection limit of 0.1 μM (S/N = 3) and also has a good response for GO with a linear range from 0.02 mM to 7.4 mM with the optimized detection limit of 0.1 μM (S/N = 3). The response time of the proposed electrode is less than 3 s. What's more, the proposed sensor displays excellent selectivity, good stability, and satisfying repeatability.