Antiperovskite FeNNi₂Co and FeNNi₃ nanosheets as a non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor for highly sensitive detection of glucose

Although many metal-based compounds demonstrate the ability to detect glucose, limited metal compounds have the desired high conductivity. Metal nitrides with different states of metal elements (M), such as M⁰ and M^2+/3+, can perform excellent conductivity and catalytic activity. In this work, self-supported non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors supported by carbon paper (CP) were synthesized for monitoring glucose in alkaline solutions. The antiperovskites FeNNi₂Co and FeNNi₃ as electrocatalysts are first reported in the field of the electrochemical sensor, displaying outstanding catalytic activity and high electrical conductivity. Electrochemical tests suggest that the FeNNi₂Co/CP and FeNNi₃/CP electrodes perform outstanding sensing abilities toward rapid glucose determination. In addition, the FeNNi₂Co with multi-metals can display the trimetallic synergic effect and superior performance than the original material of FeNNi₃. The sensitivity of FeNNi₂Co/CP electrode can reach level of 3621 and 1141 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻² in the concentration ranges of 2–2789 μM and 2789–7444 μM, respectively. The repeatability of the glucose concentration in the glucose drink measured by the FeNNi₂Co/CP electrode can achieve 96.2%.