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Defect-enhanced electrochemical property of h-BN for Pb2+ detection

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Abstract

A new strategy has been developed for the determination of trace lead ions (Pb2+) based on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) laden with point defect. The defect-laden boron nitride (D-BN) was synthesized by a thermal polymerization route, in which melamine borate was used as a precursor. The defect microstructure was confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. As compared with h-BN, the D-BN-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) showed an enhanced electrochemical response towards Pb2+ peaking at − 0.551 V (vs. SCE), which was evidenced by linear sweep anodic stripping voltammetry (LSASV) results. The point defect plays a pivotal role in the electrocatalytic reaction process, which can mediate the electronic structure and surface properties of h-BN. Accordingly, the sensor presented a low detection limit of 0.15 μg/L towards Pb2+ and a wide linear response concentration range from 0.5 to 400 μg/L (correlation coefficient = 0.995). In view of its superior selectivity, stability, and reproducibility, the proposed method was applied for Pb2+ determination in real samples and exhibited satisfactory results. This work provides insight for the construction of electrochemical sensor with high-performance by engineering defects of modifying materials.

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Defect-loaden h-BN exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic redox reaction towards lead ions and thus a novel Pb2+ sensor with high performances was constructed.

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Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21005053), the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, and the Project of Scientific and Technologic Infrastructure of Suzhou (SZS201708).

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  1. College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Yanling Shen, Huiying Ouyang, Weifeng Li & Yumei Long

  2. The Key Lab of Health Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of Suzhou, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Yanling Shen, Huiying Ouyang & Yumei Long

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  1. Yanling Shen
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Shen, Y., Ouyang, H., Li, W. et al. Defect-enhanced electrochemical property of h-BN for Pb2+ detection. Microchim Acta 188, 40 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-04691-z

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