Anisotropic growth of gold anchors on CdSe semiconductor quantum platelets for self-assembled architectures with well-connected electronic circuits for the electrochemical detection of enrofloxacin

Abstract

Anisotropic growth of nanomaterials enables advances in building diverse and complex architectures, which exhibit unique properties and enrich the choice of nano-building modules for electrochemical sensor devices. Herein, an anisotropic growth method was proposed to anchor gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto both ends of quasi-two-dimensional CdSe semiconductor quantum nanoplatelets (NPLs), appearing with a monodisperse and uniform nano-dumbbell shape. Then, these AuNPs were exploited as natural anchor points and further initiated self-assembly to create complex architectures via dithiol bridges. Detailed studies illustrated that the covalent Se–Au bonds facilitate effective charge transfer in the internal metal–semiconductor (M–S) electric field. The narrowed energy gap and up-shifted highest occupied molecular orbital were favored for electron removal during the electro-oxidation process. The ultrathin CdSe NPLs supplied a large specific surface area, carrying remaining holes and abundant active sites for target electro-catalysis. As a result, using the assembled complex as the electrode matrix with well-connected electronic circuits, a reliable electrochemical sensor was achieved for enrofloxacin detection. Under the optimal conditions, the current response exhibits two linear dynamic ranges, 0.01–10.0 μM and 10.0–250 μM, and the detection limit was calculated as 0.0026 μM. This work not only opens up broad application prospects for heterogeneous M–S combinations as effective electrochemical matrixes but also develops reliable antibiotic assays for food and environmental safety.