Green production of functionalized few-layer borophene decorated with cerium-doped iron oxide nanoparticles for repeatable hydrogen peroxide detection

Abstract

Functionalized few-layer borophene (FFB) was prepared using gallnut extract and coffee waste extract as natural exfoliating and stabilizing agents in an environmentally friendly ultrasonic and high shear exfoliation. Here, a facile precipitation method was employed to grow iron oxide nanoparticles doped with cerium (Ce-FeONPs) onto the surface of FFB. This intriguing combination of materials yielded Ce-FeONPs nanoparticles that exhibited exceptional peroxidase-like activity, efficiently catalyzing the conversion of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to a blue oxidized TMB (oxTMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Additionally, the introduction of FFB contributes a reducibility effect to the catalytic oxidation of TMB, facilitating the restoration of the oxTMB to TMB. Thus, FFB-Ce-FeONPs showcase intriguing properties encompassing both oxidative and reductive characteristics, suggesting their potential as a reagent for repeated detection of H2O2. Moreover, a colorimetric sensing system enabled the liner detection of H2O2 spanning a concentration range from 0.08 to 1 mM, with a detection limit of 0.03 mM. Noteworthily, FFB-Ce-FeONPs demonstrated sustained efficacy over ten successive recycling cycles, as indicated by consistent slopes and observable color changes. In summary, this work reports the first application of nanoenzymes in repetitive H2O2 detection. Even after ten multiple cycles, the detection limit remains virtually unaltered, underscoring the robustness and enduring effectiveness of the engineered nanomaterial. The proposed simultaneous oxidation and reduction strategies for detecting H2O2 showed a commendable capability in ten cycles of H2O2 detection, thus providing a promising approach in the field of H2O2 detection.