Fabrication of dual-functional smart materials: 2D-WO3/rGO nanocomposite for electrochemical detection and photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

Abstract

The extensive utilization of the antibacterial agent tetracycline (TC) in pharmaceuticals and livestock farming has sparked considerable health apprehensions for the welfare of both animals and humans. The presence of TC drug residues in soil, rivers, lakes, and groundwater further exacerbates these concerns. To address these issues, we synthesized WO₃/rGO nanocomposites using a simple hydrothermal method and explored their bifunctional catalyst properties for the first time. These nanocomposites were investigated for their potential applications in electrochemical sensing and photocatalytic degradation of TC drug. The electrocatalytic oxidation of TC drug using the WO₃/rGO/Glassy Carbon Electrode (GCE) nanocomposites demonstrated good sensitivity, low detection limit, low quantification limit and wide linear range of 1.708 µA µM⁻¹ cm⁻², 202 nM, 0.202 µM and 0.1–400 µM, respectively. Moreover, we assessed the WO₃/rGO/GCE nanocomposites effectiveness in detecting TC drug in real samples, including milk, lake water, fish, and tap water, and found the recovery results to be satisfactory. Additionally, the nanocomposites displayed noteworthy photocatalytic activity in degrading the TC drug. The as-prepared WO₃/rGO nanocomposites exhibited an impressive degradation efficiency of 87.5 % over 120 minutes under UV–visible light irradiation. Radical trapping tests confirmed that the *OH^- radicals played a significant role in the degradation process. Our study highlights the outstanding electrochemical and photocatalytic properties of WO₃/rGO nanocomposites, positioning them as highly promising materials for future biomedical and environmental applications.