Passion Fruit-Shaped Iron-Nickel Co-Doped carbon spheres for efficient and sensitive detection of nitrobenzene pollutants

In this study, a simple one-pot method was employed to synthesize an iron-nickel-carbon composite material. Glucose-derived mesoporous carbon spheres (CS) were used as a template, while urea served as a linking agent. Well-defined iron-nickel nanoparticles (Fe-Ni NPs) were incorporated into the CS to form a passion fruit-shaped structure. The resulting FeNi/CS catalyst exhibits excellent synergistic effects, effectively promoting electron transfer and charge migration. This composite material also demonstrates outstanding electrocatalytic performance for detecting nitrobenzene (NB). The results show a wide detection linear range from 1 to 1000 μM, with a low detection limit of 0.12 μM, as well as good anti-interference capability and high sensitivity. Furthermore, NB monitoring in real water samples yields satisfactory recovery rates ranging from 97.18 % to 102.75 %. The unique electrochemical sensor offers a novel approach for NB detection.