Plasmonic and photo-electrochemical enhancements of the AuAg@Au/RGO–C3N4 nanocomposite for the detection of DA

Abstract

Plasmonic photocatalyst has attracted significant attention due to its valuable theoretical study and promising practical applications in solar cells, functional composites, and sensors. Herein, an interesting RGO–C₃N₄-supported AuAg core–Au shell (AuAg@Au) nanocomposite has been reported. Due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AuAg@Au and the accelarated electron transfer and separation of charge carriers induced by the fascinating RGO–C₃N₄ substrate, the newly-generated AuAg@Au/RGO–C₃N₄ nanomaterials show a strong photo-electrochemical response under visible-light irradiation. The AuAg@Au/RGO–C₃N₄ photocatalyst demonstrated an excellent photo-electrochemical performance with a broad concentration linear range of 0.064–780.904 μM and a low detection limit of 0.022 μM, high stability, and good selectivity when applied in the determination of dopamine (DA) under visible-light irradiation.