Self-assembled Ti₃C₂ /MWCNTs nanocomposites modified glassy carbon electrode for electrochemical simultaneous...

A versatile electrochemical sensor based on titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite was constructed to detection catechol (CT) and hydroquinone (HQ). To prepare this novel nanocomposite, a self-assembled process was conducted by blending two-dimensional (2D) hierarchical Ti₃C₂ and MWCNTs under ultrasonic-assisted. X-ray diffraction (XRD), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods as well as electrochemical technique, such as Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were performed to characterize the Ti₃C₂-MWCNTs nanocomposite and illuminate the electrochemical oxidation process. Under the optimum conditions, wide linear range from 2 μM to 150 μM for both HQ and CT and low detection limit of 6.6 nM for HQ and 3.9 nM (S/N = 3) for CT have been achieved. Impressively, the sensor possesses superior selectivity, ultra-stability, and good repeatability, which was successfully applied for detecting CT and HQ in real industrial waste water sample with recovery of 96.9%-104.7% and 93.1%-109.9% for HQ and CT, respectively. Hence, Ti₃C₂ nanosheeets were proved to be a promising platform to construct electrochemical oxidation sensor in environmental analyses and phenolic isomers detection.