One-Step Synthesis of TiN/C Nanocomposites for the Sensitive Determination of Ofloxacin

Abstract

Regulating the heterostructure of electrode materials has a great influence on electron migration and subsequent electrochemical reactions, which play a critical role in the sensing process. Herein, a facile method has been demonstrated to synthesize TiN/graphitic carbon (TiN/gC) nanocomposites by the in situ growth of TiN nanoparticles on C nanosheets. The formation of TiN/gC heterojunctions was evidenced by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This heterostructure can effectively facilitate electron transfer and increase the electrochemically active area, which improves the electrocatalytic performance. Interestingly, the TiN/gC-modified glassy carbon electrode (TiN-gC/GCE) exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward ofloxacin (OFLX) redox. With the change in the OFLX concentration, the electrochemical response of the sensor also changes. By using a differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique, the designed sensor showed a wide detection range: the DPV response was linearly dependent on the concentrations in the range of 0.05 – 1.0 and 1.0 – 100 μM. Moreover, TiN-gC/GCE demonstrated outstanding analytical performances in the quantitative OFLX assay, such as a high sensitivity of 2876 μA·mM−1·cm–2, low detection limit of 0.016 μM, good selectivity and stability. The proposed method was successfully applied for OFLX detection in eye drops and environmental water with satisfactory results.