Facile synthesis of CuS nanoparticles on two-dimensional nanosheets as efficient artificial nanozyme for detection of Ibuprofen in water

This work reports a selective and sensitive method for detection of Ibuprofen (Ibu), a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) based on the peroxidase mimic activity of CuS nanoparticles (NPs) decorated on 2D graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BN). CuS/g-C3N4 and CuS/h-BN nanocomposites are synthesized by simple hydrothermal technique and characterized by different sophisticated analytical techniques like XRD, BET, HRTEM and XPS analysis. The surface charge of the nanocomposites is determined by zeta potential analysis. The peroxidase mimic activity of the nanocomposites are analyzed by carry out the catalytic oxidation of 3, 3', 5, 5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in presence of H2O2 to produce a blue colored oxidized product (oxTMB). The synthesized nanocomposites are employed for the colorimetric detection of Ibu a model pharmaceutical pollutant in an aqueous medium. Ibu is commonly used by human beings to cure certain ailments and excreted in environmental wastewaters that have several bad effects. The principle of sensing is the inhibition of the peroxidase mimic activity of the nanozymes by Ibu. The detection limit of Ibu achieved in the colorimetric detection technique is found to be 16.01 and 21.20 mg/L (ppm) within the linear range of 0-100 mg/L in presence of CuS/g-C3N4 and CuS/h-BN nanocomposites, respectively. The practical application of the proposed sensor is successfully demonstrated using various environmental water samples spiked with different concentrations of Ibu. The proposed sensing probes exhibit high specificity and anti interfering ability over other water contaminates and considerable feasibility in real water systems.