Fabrication of a composite electrode applied in photoelectrochemical detection of glyphosate

In this paper, we adopt a structure, which is similar to PN junction in physical by combining Co3O4 with ZnO, accelerating the transfer of electrons and improving the sensitivity of the electrode. And then we used Au nanoparticles to modify the surface of the composite which improved the active area of the electrode. Then, we studied the surface morphology and microstructure of our fabricated electrode by a series of characterization analysis technologies. Finally, a series of electrochemical and photo-electrochemical tests were made to analyze the sensing characteristics for glyphosate of our fabricated electrode. Through tests, the obtained electrode shows pretty good electron conductivity which improved photo sensitivity and glyphosate sensitivity. The obtained electrode presented reasonable detection range of 0.1–0.9 mM and comparatively low detection limitation compared with previous herbicide sensors. Our fabricated sensor electrode may be a promising composite material electrode for current photo-electrochemical sensor in high-sensitivity detecting herbicide.