Highly sensitive and selective photoelectrochemical sensor for mercury(II) detection based on efficient Bi2MoO6 photoanode decorated with CuS

Stronger photocatalytic activity and better photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance can Bi2MoO6/CuS photocatalyst accomplish compared to that of pure Bi2MoO6. CuS was also conducive to strengthen the visible light absorption and inhibited the recombination of electron-hole pairs. The addition of glutathione (GSH) in the electrolyte led to a significant enhancement to the reactivity of the PEC sensor in the modified electrode. In contrast, the increase in photocurrent was restrained to a high degree for that the hole scavenging agents were consumed through the addition of mercury (Hg 2 +). Consequently, the electrode was able to be exploited for Hg2+ detection even though no specific identification component was introduced yet. The wide linear range of 0.5 nM-230 nM and low detection limit of 0.23 nM made the electrode adaptable to the detection of Hg2+ in practical samples. Thanks to a ameliorative PEC performance, thus, the Bi2MoO6/CuS sensor stands a good chance to play a useful part in the detection of Hg2+. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.