Decoration of alkalization-intercalated Ti₃C₂ with ZIF-8@ZIF-67-derived N-doped carbon nanocage for detecting 4-nitrophenol

The highly effective alk-Ti₃C₂/bimetallic Co, Zn embedded N-doped carbon (Co-Zn-NC) composite was fabricated by a convenient self-assembled method strategy and applied to the reduction of 4-nitrophenol(4-NP). Co-Zn-NC nanocage was synthesized by using designed core–shell ZIF-8@ZIF-67 as sacrificial template. The Co-Zn-NC was prepared by pyrolysis of ZIF-8@ZIF-67 at 900 °C with high-specific surface area and hollow structure, which facilitates the dispersion of Co species and produces abundant Co-Nx active sites. In addition, the electrochemical property and specific surface area of Ti₃C₂ were improved by alkaline treatment. As a result, compared with alk-Ti₃C₂ and Co-Zn-NC, the alk-Ti₃C₂/Co-Zn-NC sensor showed higher activity and stability in detecting 4-NP. The alk-Ti₃C₂/Co-Zn-NC sensor has a wide determination range of 2–500 μM and a low detection limit of 0.23 μM for 4-NP. In addition, the newly developed alk-Ti₃C₂/Co-Zn-NC sensor displayed satisfactory reproducibility and good stability in detecting 4-NP in aqueous samples. Graphical abstract