SnO2 Nanodisks Decorated on WS2 Nanosheets for Phenolic Preservative Sensing in Fruit Juice

Abstract

The excessive use of food preservatives has raised growing concerns about their side effects on human health, warranting the innovation of rapid and reliable sensing platforms. Among these additives, tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is widely utilized but has negative neurotoxic implications, involving tremors and other chronic problems, highlighting the urgency for advanced detection strategies. In this work, we report a novel design of a hierarchical nanocomposite composed of SnO2 nanodisks decorated on WS2 nanosheets synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method, followed by ultrasonic treatment. Several spectroscopic characterization techniques confirm the formation of the nanocomposite, and further electrochemical applications were performed. The distinctive disk-like SnO2 coupled with the WS2 nanosheet topology, generates abundant active sites, accelerating charge movement and hence improving the electrocatalytic response toward TBHQ. The WS2 /SnO2 nanocomposite-decorated working electrode exhibits a broad linear range from 0.06 to 918 μM, a high sensitivity of 1.713 μA μM–1, and a very low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.32 nM along with superior anti-interference characteristics. Moreover, a recovery rate of 98% in commercial fruit juices demonstrates the robustness of food safety monitoring in practical applications. Thus, the study establishes SnO2 nanodisks designed WS2 nanosheets as a prospective material architecture for next-generation electrochemical sensor safeguarding the food supply chain.