Abstract
•The ZnCr-LDH/WC nanocomposite is successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method.•The ZnCr-LDH/WC based sensor owns excellent electrocatalytic activity for MSZ.•Excellent performance includes ultralow LOD, high sensitivity and good selectivity.•The proposed sensor is successfully used for MSZ detection in the actual samples.
The development of novel electrocatalyst materials with excellent characteristics is inevitably needed to satisfy the practical application of electrochemical sensors. In this study, the 2D ZnCr layered double hydroxide (LDH)/tungsten carbide (WC) composite was prepared by the hydrothermal method and investigated as the electrochemical electrode material for mesalazine (MSZ) detection. The ZnCr-LDH/WC modified electrode has superior electrocatalytic activity towards the MSZ detection compared to the reported modified and unmodified electrodes. The combination of ZnCr-LDH and WC constitutes a 2D/2D composite, which exhibits high electrical conductivity, a large specific surface area, and rapid electron transfer, thus guaranteeing efficient electrocatalytic performance. The ZnCr-LDH/WC modified electrode exhibits a wide working range (0.03–254 µM), low limit of detection (6.0 nM), high sensitivity (4.085 μA μM−1 cm−2), excellent selectivity, and good reproducibility towards the detection of MSZ. The fabricated electrochemical sensor has been successfully applied to determine the contents of MSZ in human-urine and river-water samples. The presented strategy will pave the way for developing 2D/2D composite for electrochemical applications.