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

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 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2), in the wide linear range from 0.01 to 0.25 mM with a low detection limit of 0.01 mu M. 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.