Ti3C2 MXene improved photoelectrochemical anode assembly of titanium dioxide nanoarrays for microcystin-LR detection

MXenes with metal-like properties in the improvement of band gap and drive off photon-generated carrier transport have become one of the most promising co-catalysts. However, their unavoidable two-dimensional morphology limits their applications in sensing because this emphasizes the well-ordered microstructure of signal label to trigger stable signal output. In this work, a photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor utilizing titanium dioxide nanoarrays/Ti3C2 MXene (TiO2/Ti3C2) composites as an anode current generator is proposed. Conventional, TiO2 generated by in situ oxidation of Ti3C2 was replaced with physically pulverized Ti3C2 and uniformly inlaid on the rutile TiO2 NAs surface by an ordered self-assembly. This method results in high consistency in morphology and exhibits a stable photocurrent output when detecting microcystin-LR (MC-LR), the most dangerous toxin in water. We believe that this study is a promising approach for sensing carrier preparation and significant target detection.