Development of an innovative nitrite sensing platform based on the construction of carbon-layer-coated In2O3 porous tubes

Excessive uptake of nitrite has been proven to be harmful for human health and ecological systems, so it is vital to develop a reliable methodology for nitrite analysis. In this work, we have synthesized innovative carbon-layer coated In2O3 porous tubes (C@In2O3 PTs) to electrochemically detect nitrite in industrial wastewater samples. C@In2O3 PTs were prepared through the thermal decomposition of metal organic frameworks (MOFs, MIL-68-In) based on the two-step synthetic processes. The obtained C@In2O3 PTs displayed obviously increased catalytic activity to the electrochemical oxidation of nitrite, which benefited from the enhanced surface area and electron transfer based on the porous and hollow structure, and the maximized synergistic effect due to the intimate contact between In2O3 core and carbon layer. Thus, the sensitive determination of nitrite with a detection limit of 0.08 mu M was realized, which was promising for sensitive determination of nitrite in the environmental analysis and food industry.

Automated summary

A novel carbon-layer coated In2O3 porous tubes were synthesized for the electrochemical detection of nitrite, showing enhanced catalytic activity and a sensitive detection limit of 0.08 mu M. This innovative method provides a promising approach for the sensitive determination of nitrite in environmental analysis and food industry.