Photoelectrochemical device based on Mo-doped BiVO4 enables smart analysis of the global antioxidant capacity in food

Abstract

For a healthy diet, which is an extension of a high quality lifestyle, tremendous attention has been focused on using antioxidant capacity indicators for food inspections and health guides. Although photoelectrochemical transducers have broadened our horizons for global antioxidant activity analysis, a growing body of foods and beverages needs to be quantified in the visible region and the necessary photoelectrochemical instrumentalization is still in its infancy. Generally, BiVO₄ is considered as an ideal starting material for antioxidant surveillance under visible light irradiation. However, it is subjected to unsatisfied charge collection and utilization in practical applications. Herein, we studied the effects of successive molybdenum substitution of vanadium on the photocatalytic behavior of BiMo_xV_(1−x)O₄ under visible light illumination. A superior photocurrent density was obtained for BiMo_0.015V_0.985O₄ due to the flower-like architecture and favorable crystalline form. At the same time, this superhybrid BiMo_0.015V_0.985O₄ composite successfully acted as a sensing unit in a photoelectrochemical platform for antioxidant capacity evaluation in foodstuffs. The related mechanism was further unearthed and discussed in-depth. Such a straightforward yet cogent principle was also applied to our integrated device for the “smart” analysis of the global antioxidant capacity, whereby collected data can be treated as a nutritive value index for routine quality control in the food industry. On the basis of this achievement, it is anticipated that mobile app-based quantitative antioxidant capacity detection will soon be realized.