Facile Synthesis of Protonated Carbon Nitride/Ti3C2Tx Nanocomposite for Simultaneous Detection of Pb2+ and Cd2+

A high-sensitivity electrochemical sensor for heavy metal ions (HMIs) was prepared by associating Ti3C2Tx with protonated carbon nitride (H-C3N4/Ti3C2Tx). Due to the electrostatic interaction, massive H-C3N4 was distributed on the surface of Ti3C2Tx, and served as coating material. H-C3N4/Ti3C2Tx composite showed great conductivity derived from Ti3C2Tx and H-C3N4 was with abundant electroactive deposition sites for the deposition of HMIs. In addition, the stability of H-C3N4/Ti3C2Tx composite was enhanced due to the protective H-C3N4 coating. The H-C3N4/Ti3C2Tx electrode exhibited remarkable sensitivities for the simultaneous detection of Cd2+ (0.05 similar to 1.50 mu M) and Pb2+ (0.05 similar to 1.50 mu M) and the detection limit of Cd2+ and Pb2+ were 0.001 and 0.0006 mu M, respectively. Notably, sensor based on H-C3N4/Ti3C2Tx composite showed excellent selectivity for Cd2+ and Pb2+ in the presence of interfere ions and molecules (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Hg2+, Cr2+, Cu2+, Cl-, NO3-, PO4-, ascorbic acid, uric acid, acetaminophen, glucose and nicotinamide). Besides that, distinguished stability and reproductivity of H-C3N4/Ti3C2Tx electrode indicate that this sensor is promising for HMIs in wastewater and other commercial applications. (C) 2020 The Electrochemical Society (ECS). Published on behalf of ECS by IOP Publishing Limited.