β-Bi(2)O(3) Nanosheets Functionalized with Bisphenol A Synthetic Receptors: A Novel Material for Sensitive Photoelectrochemical Platform Construction

In this study, β-Bi(2)O(3) nanosheets functionalized with bisphenol A (BPA) synthetic receptors were developed by a simple molecular imprinting technology and applied as the photoelectric active material for the construction of a BPA photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor. BPA was anchored on the surface of β-Bi(2)O(3) nanosheets via the self-polymerization of dopamine monomer in the presence of a BPA template. After the elution of BPA, the BPA molecular imprinted polymer (BPA synthetic receptors)-functionalized β-Bi(2)O(3) nanosheets (MIP/β-Bi(2)O(3)) were obtained. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of MIP/β-Bi(2)O(3) revealed that the surface of β-Bi(2)O(3) nanosheets was covered with spherical particles, indicating the successful polymerization of the BPA imprinted layer. Under the best experimental conditions, the PEC sensor response was linearly proportional to the logarithm of BPA concentration in the range of 1.0 nM to 1.0 μM, and the detection limit was 0.179 nM. The method had high stability and good repeatability, and could be applied to the determination of BPA in standard water samples.