ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nano/Microcomposites for the Enhanced Electrochemical Sensing of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>
Mingfu Ye, Yang Chen, Yan Sun, Jieyue Wang, Didi Wang, Yijing Zhao, Zhu Zhu, Pengchao Liu, Jiahao Zhu, Chunsheng Li, Wenxiu Peng, Ning Zhang, Yongping Dong
Abstract
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensors with high sensitivity and stable detecting ability have been particularly in demand in the charming medical health and environmental monitoring. In this work, spherical ZnFe2O4/g-C3N4 (ZFO/g-C3N4) nano/microcomposites with different contents of g-C3N4 were controllably synthesized through a solvothermal calcination strategy, and the morphologies of their target materials were systematically characterized via scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Subsequently, the as-prepared spherical ZFO/g-C3N4 composites are designed as an outstanding electrochemical sensor for H2O2, and its sensitivity was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The ZFO/g-C3N4 microspheres exhibited a synergistic catalytic effect with a broad linear detection range between 5 and 200 μM and a detection limit of 1 μM (S/N = 3). The enhanced electrochemical performances of uniform ZFO/g-C3N4 composites with a three-dimensional net structure proved that the combination of a two-dimensional material (C3N4) and spinel-type metal oxide (ZnFe2O4) produces apparent activity, showing broad application potential in nonenzymatic sensors.