Bi/BiVO4/NiFe-LDH heterostructures with enhanced photoelectrochemical performance for streptomycin detection

Streptomycin (STR) plays an essential role in bacterial infection treatments. Selectivity and sensitivity of photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors are the two most important parameters, which can be measured using the photosensitivity of its active material. We prepared a novel PEC sensor to detect STR using Bi/BiVO4/LDH (layered double hydroxides) heterostructures as an active material, which is photoactive in the visible light wavelength range. The simultaneous presence of LDH and Bi/BiVO4 enhanced the material photocurrent response, which was linear to the STR concentrations in the 0.01–500 nmol/L range. The STR detection limit by this sensor was 0.0042 nmol/L. Our novel PEC-based sensing strategy includes using an ultra-sensitive and highly selective sensor for STR detection. Additionally, the two-pot synthesis of Bi/BiVO4/LDH developed in this work is environmentally friendly.