Cost-effective and selective determining <1 µm melamine microplastics via the photoelectrochemical properties of Ir-Cu non-hexagonal nanosheets

Abstract

The increasing health hazards of microplastics has raised an alarming scenario worldwide. Microplastic contaminants are present everywhere and causing unwanted interactions and hence termed as pollutants. Strict studies to explore the involvement of small-size microplastics are need of hour, and highly sensitive probes are required for identification. The present study explores highly sensitive identification of <1 µm melamine microplastic in water sources using non-hexagonal IrCu (NH-IC) nanosheets as a photoelectrochemical (PEC) agent. Synthesis of IrCu nanosheet is carried out via a non-hydrolytic sol–gel process, assisted with the probe-sonication method. The methodology is stringently developed to achieve high PEC response under UV illumination, the current density increases after UV-illumination. Selective identification of melamine was achieved in comparison with other similar-sized microplastics, and particulate count’s measurement showed a high linearity response. The particulate study shows a high linearity response after incubation with the NH-IC nanosheet. The calculated response after melamine microplastic incubation for 10 and 20 min is R² 0.9421, 0.9624 and the limit of detection is 0.034 ppm and 0.0028 ppm, respectively.