Morphology-controlled synthesis of Bi 2 S 3 nanorods-reduced graphene oxide composites with high-performance for electrochemical detection of dopamine

Abstract Bi 2 S 3 nanorods anchored over reduced graphene oxide (rGO/Bi 2 S 3 ) were successfully synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal process, where in-situ generation of Bi 2 S 3 nanorods and reduction of GO occurred simultaneously. Moreover, the controlled synthesis of rGO/Bi 2 S 3 nanocomposite with tunable size was achieved by adjusting the dosage of GO. The nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. Because of the particular construction of as-prepared nanocomposite and the synergistic effect between rGO sheets and Bi 2 S 3 nanorods, the rGO/Bi 2 S 3 film can effectively accelerate electron transport and extend catalytic active sites, leading to the remarkable electrochemical performance for dopamine sensing. The rGO/Bi 2 S 3 -1/GCE sensor exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the dopamine oxidation with a wide linear range of 0.01–40 μM and a low detection limit of 12.3 nM. Furthermore, the as-prepared sensor could be feasibly applied to detect dopamine in urine samples. Hence, the prepared rGO/Bi 2 S 3 composite is one of the low cost, extremely promising and nontoxicity materials for electrocatalysis and relevant fields.