Fabrication of hierarchical Ru/PEDOT:PSS/TiCT nanocomposites as electrochemical sensing platforms for highly sensitive Sudan I detection in food.

In our paper, a promising electrochemical sensing platform was fabricated with titanium carbide (TiCT), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and ruthenium nanoparticles (RuNPs). First, the Shandong pancake structural PEDOT:PSS/TiCT was prepared by physical stirring. PEDOT:PSS as the dispersant was embedded into the TiCT nanosheets, increasing the degree of dispersion of the TiCT nanosheets and further improving the specific surface area of the composite material. Then, RuNPs were supported on the surface of PEDOT:PSS/TiCT to form the hierarchical ternary nanocomposite of Ru/PEDOT:PSS/TiCT. The prepared Ru/PEDOT:PSS/TiCT nanocomposite exhibited promising electrochemical sensing properties toward Sudan I detection with a wide detection range of 0.01 ∼ 100 μM and a high sensitivity of 482.43 μA mM cm. Moreover, the Ru/PEDOT:PSS/TiCT sensing platform has been successfully applied for Sudan I detection in ketchup and chili paste, implying the promising application prospect of Ru/PEDOT:PSS/TiCT in food safety testing.