Facile in-situ synthesis of Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 nanowires toward simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid

Abstract

The development of electrochemical sensors with high sensitivity for the simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) is urgently desirable in clinical medicine. However, the challenge lies in achieving simultaneous detection due to their closely oxidation potentials. In this work, we present the synthesis of a composite material comprised of in-situ grown TiO2 nanowires (NWs) on a Ti3C2Tx substrate (Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 NWs) through a facile alkali process. By modifying a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 NWs (Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 NWs/GCE), it showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the simultaneous detection of AA/DA/UA by regulating the surface functional groups of Ti3C2Tx. Remarkably, the Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 NWs/GCE enabled simultaneous detection of AA in the range of 300–1800 μM, DA in the range of 2–33 μM, and UA in the range of 2–33 μM. The limits of detection (LODs) for AA, DA, and UA were estimated as 6.61 μM, 0.093 μM, and 0.038 μM, respectively. The proposed Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 NWs/GCE demonstrated good stability, high selectivity, reliable reproducibility and satisfactory recovery results in real samples, making it a promising electrochemical sensor for the detection of AA, DA, and UA. This work offers a new perspective for human health monitoring, paving the way for advancements in this field.