Green fabrication of chitin-nanocrystal-stabilized polythiophene nanocomposites for sensitive detection of toxic metal ions
Résumé
A sustainable synthesis route was developed for a polythiophene/chitin nanocrystals/sodium alginate (PTh/ChNCs/SA) nanocomposite designed as a bio-based electrochemical sensing platform for heavy-metal ion detection. The core novelty of this work lies in the in-situ oxidative polymerization of thiophene conducted entirely in water, using chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) as the sole colloidal stabilizer, thereby eliminating the toxic organic solvents typically required for conducting-polymer fabrication. Within the hybrid architecture, ChNCs act as Pickering stabilizers, enabling the oxidative polymerization of thiophene in water without the need for additional surfactants. The resulting stable PTh/ChNCs colloidal dispersion was incorporated into a sensing electrode using sodium alginate (SA) as the supporting matrix. The PTh/ChNCs/SA-modified electrode exhibited excellent electroanalytical performance toward Pb2+ and Hg2+ ions, with wide linear ranges (10–150 nM) and low detection limits (1.53 nM and 3.26 nM, respectively). The sensor demonstrated high sensitivity and operational stability, along with strong selectivity against many cation interferences commonly found in real industrial wastewater. Its analytical reliability was further confirmed through measurements in real water samples, showing close agreement with atomic absorption spectrometry. Overall, this study establishes a solvent-free, bio-derived route for the fabrication of conductive nanocomposites and highlights a promising pathway toward cost-effective and sustainable electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring.
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