Ti₃C₂ MXene improved photoelectrochemical anode assembly of titanium dioxide nanoarrays for microcystin-LR detection

MXenes with metal-like properties in the improvement of band gap and drive off photon-generated carrier transport have become one of the most promising co-catalysts. However, their unavoidable two-dimensional morphology limits their applications in sensing because this emphasizes the well-ordered microstructure of signal label to trigger stable signal output. In this work, a photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor utilizing titanium dioxide nanoarrays/Ti₃C₂ MXene (TiO₂/Ti₃C₂) composites as an anode current generator is proposed. Conventional, TiO₂ generated by in situ oxidation of Ti₃C₂ was replaced with physically pulverized Ti₃C₂ and uniformly inlaid on the rutile TiO₂ NAs surface by an ordered self-assembly. This method results in high consistency in morphology and exhibits a stable photocurrent output when detecting microcystin-LR (MC-LR), the most dangerous toxin in water. We believe that this study is a promising approach for sensing carrier preparation and significant target detection.