WS2 quantum dots harvesting via sonication assisted liquid exfoliation for the electrochemical sensing of xanthine

Abstract

WS₂ quantum dots (WS₂ QDs) were prepared by sonication assisted liquid exfoliation in dimethyl formamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The as-prepared WS₂ QDs were characterized by spectroscopic techniques such as UV-visible, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. Further, the crystallinity was identified by XRD and the surface morphology by HR-TEM. WS₂ QDs were then utilized as a platform for the electrochemical detection of xanthine and it exhibited a limit of detection and sensitivity of 0.118 μM (S/N = 3) and 7.872 μA cm⁻² μM⁻¹, respectively. Further, the proposed sensor was found to be linear in the 1–100 μM range. Hence, it is evident that WS₂ QDs can be employed as an electrochemical platform for various sensing and bio-sensing applications.