Comparison of electrocatalytic activity for glucose electrooxidation of gold nanoparticles fabricated by different methods

Abstract

In this study, the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) without carbon support were prepared using the well-known citrate reduction method. The carbon supported AuNPs nanocomposites were fabricated by two different approaches: chemical adsorption of AuNPs from the prepared citrate stabilized AuNP colloidal solution on the carbon powder surface and one-pot microwave-assisted synthesis. The nanocomposites were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The electrocatalytic activity of the prepared catalysts was evaluated for the electrooxidation of glucose in an alkaline media using cyclic voltammetry. The highest electrocatalytic activity was observed for the catalyst of carbon supported Au nanoparticles prepared by microwave-assisted synthesis, followed by the catalyst of carbon supported Au nanoparticles prepared by means of the adsorption method, whereas the pure Au nanoparticles without carbon support exhibited the lowest electrocatalytic properties for glucose electrooxidation.