Novel electrocatalytic platform based on graphitic carbon nitride-MoS2 embellished 3D graphene ternary hybrid for enhanced quantification of neurotransmitter serotonin

Abstract

In this paper, a novel electrochemical sensor based on graphitic carbon nitride-molybdenum disulfide decorated 3D graphene nanosheets (gCN-MoS₂/3DG) was fabricated for precise detection of “feel-good” neurotransmitter, serotonin. Exfoliation of gCN and MoS₂ was conducted via a sonochemical method, and gCN-MoS₂/3DG was prepared using a hydrothermal approach. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry were used to assess electrocatalytic capabilities of the proposed gCN-MoS₂/3DG modified screen printed carbon electrode, and the findings demonstrated outstanding sensitivity (26.18 μAμM^-1cm^-2) with a low detection limit (0.015 µM) and a broad linear range (1.8–53.8; 53.8–3693.8 μM). The sensor also displayed good selectivity, stability, and reusability with low relative standard deviations. High recovery values close to 100% were obtained after the sensor's practical viability was assessed using real samples including serotonin tablet and human urine.