Controllable anchoring of gold nanoparticles to polypyrrole nanofibers by hydrogen bonding and their application in nonenzymatic glucose sensors.

An enzymeless glucose biosensor based on polypyrrole nanofibers-supporting Au nanoparticles (Au/PPyNFs) was investigated in this study. The Au/PPyNFs heterogeneous composite materials were synthesized in-situ via hydrogen bonding interactions for the assembly of polyethyleneimine (PEI) on the surface of polypyrrole nanofibers (PPyNFs). By changing the molar ratio of PPy to HAuCl(4), Au/PPyNFs with different Au loadings were obtained. The morphology and composition of Au/PPyNFs were characterized using SEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD and XPS, respectively. The hybrids exhibited a high electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation, which is prerequisite for the catalysts to be applied in amperometric glucose sensors. By using the nonenzymatic glucose sensor based on Au/PPyNFs, 0.2-13 mM glucose can be detected with a sensitivity of 1.003 μA cm(-2)mM(-1) and a good linearity (R(2)=0.9993) between current density and glucose concentration. The proposed glucose sensor provides a promising strategy to construct fast, sensitive, and anti-interfering amperometric sensors for early diagnosis and prevention of diabetes.