Electronic structure modulation on SnO2 and hexagonal boron nitride with sulfur atom for effective electrochemical sensing of Bendiocarb

Here we demonstrated the sulfur atoms induced an electronic structure modulation of SnO2 and its synergism with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) by simple one-step vulcanization process. Thus, S-SnO2/S-hBN exhibits extraordinary catalyst material for the electrochemical detection of a toxic insecticide bendiocarb (BDC). The introduction of sulfur atoms to SnO2 and hBN results an in situ dynamic electronic structure transition, further facilitate the interactions of target with the catalyst structure. Detailed investigation of S-SnO2/S-hBN indicates the role of sulfur atoms as an electron acceptor to facilitate electron transfer to SnO2/hBN for the electrochemical process. The remarkable interfacial active site in S-SnO2/S-hBN provides the lowest limit of detection of 0.285 mu M and the best sensitivity of 0.023 mu A mu M-1 cm-2 under the wide range addition of BDC i.e. 0.02-150.02 mu M. Meanwhile, it has proven the top-notch selectivity of BDC even at a higher concentration level of interfering molecules present. This work also satisfies the requirements of commercializing by an appreciable recovery in real-time analysis of food samples with accurate reproducibility and considerable stability shown for electro-chemical detection of BDC.

Automated summary

In this study, we demonstrate that the introduction of sulfur atoms induces an electronic structure modulation of SnO2 and its synergism with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). The S-SnO2/S-hBN catalyst exhibits outstanding performance for the electrochemical detection of the toxic insecticide bendiocarb (BDC). The sulfur atoms act as electron acceptors, promoting electron transfer for the electrochemical process and enabling remarkable detection sensitivity and selectivity for BDC.