Nitrophenylene-decorated V2O5 nanohybrids: Effect of processing conditions on enhancing the electrochemical performance for oxygen reduction reaction and dopamine sensing

Vanadium oxide-based nanocomposites have gained considerable interest in energy storage and electrochemical sensing due to the versatile valence states of vanadium. To enhance electrocatalytic and electrochemical sensing properties, this study focuses on the development of V2O5 nanohybrids with nitro-phenylene trimer, synthesized via a Suzuki coupling reaction. The electrochemical performance of both solid-state and solution-processed V2O5 nanohybrids was investigated, with structural and morphological properties evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM).The study revealed that the solution-processed V2O5/nitro-phenylene nanohybrids significantly outperformed their solid-state counterparts in both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) applications and dopamine sensing. The solution-processed samples exhibited a (2 + 2)e⁻ ORR pathway, resulting in increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production compared to pristine V2O5. These solution-processed nanohybrids demonstrated enhanced selectivity for dopamine detection, achieving a sensitivity of 1.927 µA µM⁻¹ cm⁻² and a lower limit of detection (LOD) of 0.252 µM.

Duke Scholars

Author Darlene Kimber Taylor Obstetrics and Gynecology