Mesoporous NiCo2S4 nanoflakes as an efficient and durable electrocatalyst for non-enzymatic detection of cholesterol

Abstract

Abstract The detection of cholesterol is very crucial in clinical diagnosis for rapid and accurate monitoring of multiple disease-biomarkers. There is a great need for construction of a highly reliable and stable electrocatalyst for the efficient detection of cholesterol. In this work, mesoporous NiCo2S4 nanoflakes of enhanced electrochemical properties are prepared through a facile hydrothermal approach. The developed nanoflakes modified nickel foam electrode exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic properties for the detection of cholesterol with high selectivity. The electrode displays excellent sensitivity of 8623.6 μA mM−1 cm−2, in the wide linear range from 0.01 to 0.25 mM with a low detection limit of 0.01 μM. In addition, NiCo2S4 structure reveals good thermal stability and reproducibility over a period of 8 weeks. Moreover, the nanoflakes show good response for detection of cholesterol in real samples. Our results demonstrate the potential use of NiCo2S4 as a catalyst for the development of cost-effective electrochemical sensors for medical and industrial applications.