Enhanced nonenzymatic glucose detection through the synergy of Cu and Ni in a co-sputtered heteroatomic thin film

Diabetes is a chronic disease that spreads because of having too much sugar in blood. Millions of people across the globe suffer health condition due to diabetes. Continuous blood glucose monitoring is a key to detect and treat patients in early stages of diabetes. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) heteroatomic thin films using RF magnetron sputtering technique. As prepared Cu-Ni thin films were utilized as sensing platform for nonenzymatic glucose sensors. A comparative study with pristine Ni and Cu films evidence that Cu-Ni heteroatomic film exhibits synergistic effect for glucose detection in basic media. It also displayed applicability for glucose detection with varying concentration from 10 µM to 5 mM. The developed sensing platform with superior selectivity and enhanced stability can be used for realistic application.