ZnO nanorods grown on Cu wire mesh provide a high sensitivity non-enzymatic absorbance glucose sensor

A highly sensitive non-enzymatic absorption-based glucose sensor is introduced that combines ZnO nanorods with the ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX) assay. ZnO nanorods were successfully synthesized on the surface of a copper wire mesh, exhibiting high crystallinity, purity, and a large surface area. The glucose sensor displays a high sensitivity of 0.394 mM⁻¹ in a wide linear detection range (0 − 6 mM), along with a low limit of detection of 0.25 mM. The proposed assay has an excellent selectivity towards glucose compared with other sugars such as sucrose, maltose, and fructose. The potential use of the non-enzymatic absorbance sensor for diabetes monitoring is demonstrated by measuring the glucose concentration in human blood serum, obtaining values that are consistent with clinical analysis.