Non-enzymatic and self-powered flexible carbon-based Strips/AuNPs/ MXene-PtNPs for the detection of glucose in sweat

Abstract

Reliable and continuous glucose monitoring is essential for diabetes management; however, conventional enzymatic wearable sensors are limited by enzyme instability, mechanical degradation, and reliance on external power sources. Here, we report a novel flexible, non-enzymatic, and self-powered glucose biofuel cell (GBFC) sensor designed for wearable sweat analysis. The sensor utilizes gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as the anode catalyst and a hybrid of MXene-platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) as the cathode, enabling simultaneous glucose sensing and power generation without the need for an external energy supply. The fabricated GBFC exhibited a maximum power density of 1.42 & micro;W/cm2 and a sensitivity of 0.14 & micro;W/(mM.cm2) over a glucose concentration range of 0.4 to 5 mM in artificial sweat. The sensor demonstrated stable electrochemical performance, with minimal signal degradation during long-term testing. Furthermore, it showed good selectivity toward glucose in the presence of common interfering species found in sweat. High repeatability and reproducibility were achieved, and the sensor retained 82 of its initial performance after 500 bending cycles, confirming its mechanical robustness and flexibility. These results highlight the potential of the AuNPs/MXene-PtNPs GBFC novel architecture as a robust platform for non-enzymatic, self-powered, and flexible glucose sensing in the next generation of wearable biosensors.