Flower-like copper sulfide-decorated boron-nitrogen co-doped carbon-modified glassy carbon electrode for selective and sensitive electrochemical detection of nitrobenzene in natural water

Developing efficient and sensitive electrochemical sensors is crucial to environmental pollutant detection. In this study, we prepared a copper sulfide-loaded boron-nitrogen co-doped carbon (CuS-BCN) composite using a hydrothermal method. The physicochemical properties were characterized by various techniques, which confirmed the successful preparation of CuS-BCN composites. After optimization, a CuS-BCN modified glassy carbon electrode (CuS-BCN/GCE) was developed as a senor and used for electrochemical detection of nitrobenzene (NB) via square wave voltammetry. Two detection ranges were obtained:0.5–150 μM and 150–1000 μM, with low detection limits of 0.12 μM. In addition, the sensor exhibited excellent repeatability, reproducibility, stability, and immunity against interference. CuS-BCN/GCE exhibited high sensitivity for detecting NB in actual water samples. Hence, in this study, a new and promising electrochemical sensor for the detection of NB was successfully fabricated.