Novel methodology for anodic stripping voltammetric sensing of heavy-metal ions using Ti3C2Tx nanoribbons

Abstract

Conventional anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) sensing of heavy-metal ions (HMIs) generally includes a two-step approach: (a) preconcentration via electrodeposition and (b) re-oxidation, while the requirement of the electrodeposition step makes the detection processes more complex. Herein, a novel methodology using self-reduction instead of electrodeposition was developed for the ASV sensing of HMIs (selecting Cd²⁺ as a representative analyte) by introducing Ti₃C₂T_x MXene nanoribbons (Ti₃C₂T_x NR) as a sensing element that can exhibit direct adsorption and reduction capabilities towards HMIs. Compared with conventional ASV technology, the proposed methodology is simpler and power-saving, and has a significant low detection limit (0.94 nM) and wide linear range (0.005–3.0 μM).