In-site synthesis molecular imprinting Nb2O5 –based photoelectrochemical sensor for bisphenol A detection.

Abstract In this work, a photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor based on inorganic surface molecular imprinting Nb 2 O 5 (MI-Nb 2 O 5) for detection of bisphenol A (BPA) had been developed. In the PEC sensor, MI-Nb 2 O 5 material was synthesized based on an in-situ surface molecular imprinting technique. The microstructure characteristics of the as-prepared photoactive materials were systematically investigated by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, FTIR and UV–vis spectroscopy. The PEC detection results showed that the MI-Nb 2 O 5 material had higher photocurrent responses and excellent selectivity for contaminant BPA under UV-light irradiation owing to the abundant special recognition sites on the surface of MI-Nb 2 O 5. Besides, the PEC sensor exhibited a wide detection range from 0.01 nmol·L−1 to 30 nmol·L−1 with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.004 nmol·L−1. The interferences test showed that the sensor had a good selectivity to BPA molecules in the different interference solutions. This method combining molecular imprinting technique with photoelectrochemical detection measurement made a successful attempt to detect BPA and supplied a promising way to detect other environment pollutions rapidly and selectively in the future. Highlights • Used molecular imprinting technique to enhance the selectivity of PEC system. • Inorganic MIT overcame the disadvantages in traditional PEC detection filed. • In-site synthesis method simplified the complex pretreatment process greatly. • This method supplied a promising way to detect other pollutions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]