Phosphorene-metal oxide hybrids: Dual functionality in heavy metal ions sensing and antibacterial activity

Human exposure to heavy metals is a serious worldwide issue because of their toxic impacts on both health and the environment. Unfortunately, monitoring them is usually costly and laborious as such techniques rely on sophisticated and bulky equipment. Consequently, there is an increasing demand particularly in developing countries with poor infrastructures, technical competency, and environmental capabilities especially for simple, inexpensive detection techniques. Herein, we have been shown a potential alternative for heavy metal ions detection, providing a conventional method. We have developed a colorimetric sensing platform for the detection of heavy metal ions Hg 2 + , Cd 2+ , and As 3+ . To detect these ions, we have first synthesized a phosphorene (Ph) based nanozyme, Ph@Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) using Ph and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles using a simple hydrothermal approach. The efficacy of the synthesized material was evaluated both in aqueous and real samples like water and soil. Additionally, we have calculated the limit of detection for the same which was found to be about 0.499 µM, 52.85 µM, and 17.29 µM for Hg 2+ , Cd 2+ , and As 3+ respectively. Apart from developing the colorimetric sensing platform, we have also evaluated the antimicrobial activity of the Ph@Fe 3 O 4 NPs.