Interfacial coordination confers Ti₃C₂Tx/CuNi heterojunctions with enhanced electrocatalytic performance in dopamine detection

The strong electrostatic associations are responsible for self-assembly. • Successful construction of Ti₃C₂Tx/CuNi heterojunctions. • Enhanced sensing performance of Ti₃C₂Tx/CuNi is obtained in DA detection. • Ti₃C₂Tx/CuNi heterojunctions-based sensor is employed in real-time DA detection. The detection of dopamine (DA) with high efficiency and sensitivity is crucial to understand its involvement in various biological and pathological functions. This study presents the synthesis of a novel composite material by hybridizing layered Ti 3 C 2 T x and CuNi nanoparticles via electrostatic interactions and its application in electrochemical DA detection. The Ti 3 C 2 T x /CuNi nanocomposites were favorably synthesized through hydrothermal approach and well-characterized using different characterization techniques. The performance of this material in electrochemical sensing was subsequently investigated. The key to its efficiency lies in the synergistic interaction between the materials, Ti 3 C 2 T x facilitates rapid electron transfer, while CuNi provides numerous catalytic centers, collectively boosting electrocatalytic aptitude. The sensor demonstrates excellent performance under optimized conditions, featuring a linear concentration range of 2–250 μM, enhanced stability, sensitivity, and a low detection limit of 290 nM (S/N = 3). This research suggests that the developed sensor holds significant promise in the electrochemical detection of DA as a biomarker in real-time detection of DA in blood serum samples. The schematic illustration of different steps involved in synthesis of Ti 3 C 2 T x /CuNi heterojunctions and their sensing performance in DA detection. Download: Download high-res image (141KB) Download: Download full-size image