Nano-Micro Letters, Volume. 16, Issue 1, 249(2024)

Heterogeneous CuxO Nano-Skeletons from Waste Electronics for Enhanced Glucose Detection

Yexin Pan1,†... Ruohan Yu1,2,†, Yalong Jiang3, Haosong Zhong1, Qiaoyaxiao Yuan1, Connie Kong Wai Lee1, Rongliang Yang1, Siyu Chen1, Yi Chen1, Wing Yan Poon1 and Mitch Guijun Li1,* |Show fewer author(s)
Author Affiliations
  • 1Center on Smart Manufacturing, Division of Integrative Systems and Design, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, People’s Republic of China
  • 2The Sanya Science and Education Innovation Park of Wuhan University of Technology, Sanya, 572000, People’s Republic of China
  • 3State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, People’s Republic of China
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    Electronic waste (e-waste) and diabetes are global challenges to modern societies. However, solving these two challenges together has been challenging until now. Herein, we propose a laser-induced transfer method to fabricate portable glucose sensors by recycling copper from e-waste. We bring up a laser-induced full-automatic fabrication method for synthesizing continuous heterogeneous CuxO (h-CuxO) nano-skeletons electrode for glucose sensing, offering rapid (< 1 min), clean, air-compatible, and continuous fabrication, applicable to a wide range of Cu-containing substrates. Leveraging this approach, h-CuxO nano-skeletons, with an inner core predominantly composed of Cu2O with lower oxygen content, juxtaposed with an outer layer rich in amorphous CuxO (a-CuxO) with higher oxygen content, are derived from discarded printed circuit boards. When employed in glucose detection, the h-CuxO nano-skeletons undergo a structural evolution process, transitioning into rigid Cu2O@CuO nano-skeletons prompted by electrochemical activation. This transformation yields exceptional glucose-sensing performance (sensitivity: 9.893 mA mM-1 cm-2; detection limit: 0.34 μM), outperforming most previously reported glucose sensors. Density functional theory analysis elucidates that the heterogeneous structure facilitates gluconolactone desorption. This glucose detection device has also been downsized to optimize its scalability and portability for convenient integration into people’s everyday lives.

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    Yexin Pan, Ruohan Yu, Yalong Jiang, Haosong Zhong, Qiaoyaxiao Yuan, Connie Kong Wai Lee, Rongliang Yang, Siyu Chen, Yi Chen, Wing Yan Poon, Mitch Guijun Li. Heterogeneous CuxO Nano-Skeletons from Waste Electronics for Enhanced Glucose Detection[J]. Nano-Micro Letters, 2024, 16(1): 249

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    Paper Information

    Category: Research Articles

    Received: Apr. 28, 2024

    Accepted: Jun. 23, 2024

    Published Online: Jan. 23, 2025

    The Author Email: Li Mitch Guijun (mitchli@ust.hk)

    DOI:10.1007/s40820-024-01467-5

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