Nanofibers Decorated with High-Entropy Alloy Particles for the Detection of Nitrites

Abstract

Excessive residues of nitrite can pose a serious threat to human health, making the establishment of an efficient and effective electrochemical sensor for nitrite detection highly necessary. Herein, we report on a sensor based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers, with FeCoNiCuAl high-entropy alloy (HEAs) nanoparticles in situ grown on the carbon fibers through a confinement effect. The FeCoNiCuAl/CNFs sensor is capable of electrochemically detecting nitrite using both differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and amperometric (I-t) methods. The DPV detection offers a linear range of 0.1-5000 μM and 5000-18000 μM, with sensitivities of 150.6 μA mM-1 cm-2 and 80.1 μA mM-1 cm-2, and a detection limit of 0.023 μM (S/N=3). The I-t detection covers a range of 1-10000 μM, with a sensitivity of 337.84 μA mM-1 cm-2 and a detection limit of 0.12 μM. Moreover, the sensor exhibits excellent anti-interference properties, stability, and reproducibility, providing feasibility for nitrite detection in real-world environments.