An Electrochemical Sensor for the Detection of Bisphenols Based on Mxene Embedded with Aminated Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

Bisphenols (BPs), hazardous endocrine-disrupting chemicals pervasive in environments, require sensitive monitoring methods to mitigate their health risks. Herein, an electrode material, MXene embedded with amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MXene/NH₂-MWCNTs), was fabricated via electrostatic self-assembly for developing an electrochemical sensor toward BPs. The electrode material was characterized detailedly using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements. The MXene/NH₂-MWCNTs composite exhibited significantly enhanced BP sensing performance compared to its individual components, owing to the synergistic combination of MXene's abundant active sites and NH₂-MWCNTs’ exceptional conductivity. Under optimal conditions, MXene/NH₂-MWCNTs modified glassy carbon electrode exhibited wide linear detection ranges of 0.1–300 μM for bisphenol A (BPA), 0.25–200 μM for bisphenol B (BPB), and 0.25–150 μM for bisphenol F (BPF), with relative lower detection limits of 17.53 nM for BPA, 18.43 nM for BPB, and 19.32 nM for BPF, respectively. In addition, the developed sensors showed high selectivity, reproducibility, and long-term stability were satisfactorily applicable in real environmental water samples. This work provides a versatile platform for monitoring emerging contaminants in environmental analysis.