Fe2O3-decorated boron/nitrogen-co-doped carbon nanosheets as an electrochemical sensing platform for ultrasensitive determination of paraquat in natural water

Boron/nitrogen-co-doped carbon (BCN) nanosheets decorated with Fe 2 O 3 nanocrystals (Fe 2 O 3 –BCN) were cast on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and applied as an electrochemical sensor to effectively detect paraquat (PQ), a toxic herbicide, in aqueous environments. A linear experiment performed using square wave voltammetry (SWV) under optimized experimental conditions produced a decent linear relationship and a low detection limit (LOD) of 2.74 nmol/L (S/N = 3). Repeatability, reproducibility, stability, and interference experiments confirmed that the Fe 2 O 3 –BCN/GCE system exhibited decent electrochemical sensing performance for PQ molecules. Notably, the designed sensor showed high selectivity and a decent linear relationship with PQ concentration in natural water samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the preparation of Fe 2 O 3 –BCN nanosheets for PQ detection. The proposed sensor can be employed as an effective alternative tool for distinguishing and processing PQ.