| Title |
1D ZnO nanostructures in analytical systems for Cu(II) and Fe(III) ion sensing |
| Authors |
Tepliakova, Iryna ; Abid, Mahmoud ; Viter, Roman ; Rackauskas, Simas ; Bechelany, Mikhael ; Ramanavicius, Arūnas |
| DOI |
10.1021/acsanm.5c05081 |
| Full Text |
|
| Is Part of |
ACS Applied nano materials.. Washington, DC : American Chemical Society. 2026, vol. 9, iss. 8, p. 3664-3678.. ISSN 2574-0970 |
| Keywords [eng] |
1D ZnO nanostructures ; charge transfer ; metal ion detection ; photocatalytic reduction ; PL chemical sensors |
| Abstract [eng] |
Heavy metal ion contamination requires sensitive and selective detection methods for environmental and health monitoring. This study demonstrates that one-dimensional (1D) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures with a controlled morphology enable highly sensitive photoluminescence-based detection of Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions. Three distinct ZnO morphologies─nanotetrapods, nanorods, and nanofibers─were synthesized and comprehensively characterized. ZnO nanotetrapods exhibited promising sensing performance, with detection limits of 0.92 μM for Cu2+ and 1.4 μM for Fe3+, response times of 10.6–10.9 ± 2 min, and adequate selectivity over 12 interfering metal cations. The enhanced performance correlates with nanotetrapods’ structure properties, defect chemistry, and highly negative surface charge (−42.3 mV at pH 7). We propose a sensing mechanism based on electrostatic ion adsorption followed by charge transfer that reduces Cu2+ to Cu+ and Fe3+ to Fe2+ on the ZnO surface, causing photoluminescence quenching. These findings establish the structure–property relationships for ZnO-based sensors with detection capabilities well below the WHO drinking water guidelines, demonstrating their strong potential for environmental monitoring applications. |
| Published |
Washington, DC : American Chemical Society |
| Type |
Journal article |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2026 |
| CC license |
|
