Two-dimensional TiO2 (001) nanosheets as an effective photo-assisted recyclable sensor for the electrochemical detection of bisphenol A

Abstract

Electrochemical detection is an efficient method for the detection of Bisphenol A (BPA). Herein, a sensitive photo-electrochemical sensor based on two-dimensional (2D) TiO2 (001) nanosheets was fabricated and then used for BPA electrochemical detection. Upon light irradiation, the 2D TiO2 (001) nanosheets electrode provided a lower detection limit of BPA detection compared with an ambient electrochemical determination. The low detection limit is ∼5.37 nmol/L (S/N = 3). Furthermore, profiting from the photoelectric characteristics, the 2D TiO2 (001) nanosheets electrode exhibits a nice regeneration property. After 45 min of light irradiation, the electrochemical signal was regenerated from 14.7% to 82.9% of the original signal at the 6th cycle. This is attributed to the non-selective OH mediation produced by the 2D TiO2 (001) nanosheets mineralizing anodic polymeric products and resuming surface reactive sites. This investigation indicates that photo-assistance is an efficient method to improve the electrochemical sensor for detecting BPA in water environments.