Exploring the potential of liquid phase exfoliation combined solvothermal synthesis of borophene nanosheets for innovative lead and mercury ion detection in electrochemical sensing

In this study, we synthesized few-layered, large-flake borophene nanosheets using a liquid-phase exfoliation and solvothermal method. We characterized the synthesized borophene through various techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), to investigate its structural and morphological properties. To better understand the interaction mechanisms between borophene and heavy metal ions, we conducted density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The optimized structures, frontier molecular orbital analysis, and molecular electrostatic potential maps provided valuable insights into the nature of the supramolecular interactions between Pb (II), Hg (II), and the borophene surface. We also examined the electrochemical performance of borophene-modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results showed a wide linear response range (0.1–100 μM) and a remarkably low detection limit of 0.1 μM for both Pb (II) and Hg (II) ions. These findings demonstrate the potential of borophene-modified GCEs as a highly sensitive and selective platform for detecting heavy metal ions, offering significant advantages over traditional analytical techniques. Estimated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The sensor exhibited a wide linear response range (0.1–100 μM) and a remarkably low detection limit of 0.1 μM for Pb (II) and Hg (II) ions. These results demonstrate the Potential of BPS-modified GCEs as a highly sensitive and selective platform for heavy metal ion detection, offering significant advantages over traditional analytical techniques.