A Nanocomposite of Graphitic Carbon Nitride and Carbon Dots as a Platform for Sensitive Voltammetric Determination of 2-chlorophenol in Water
Saheed O. Sanni, Augustine E. Ofomaja, Theo H.G. Moundzounga, Moses G. Peleyeju, Michael J. Klink, Ekemena O. Oseghe, Elvera Viljoen
Abstract
Herein, we report the preparation, characterisation and application of graphitic carbon nitride/carbon nanodots nanocomposite (g-C 3 N 4 /CDs) as a platform for the sensing of 2-chlorophenol in water. The g-C 3 N 4 /CDs was prepared via microwave irradiation and characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical properties of modified glassy carbon electrodes were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV). In comparison to unmodified GCE, there was a marked enhancement of the oxidation peak of the analyte when GCE modified with the nanocomposite material was used. The composite modifier also performed better than the single-component modifiers. The oxidation peak currents varied linearly with the concentrations in the range 0.5 to 2.5 μM with a detection limit of 0.67 μM. The sensor was used to determine the analyte in real water samples with good recoveries.