Highly Sensitive and Stable Determination of As(III) under Near-Neutral Conditions: Benefit from the Synergetic Catalysis of Pt Single Atoms and Active S Atoms over Pt₁/MoS₂

Abstract

Designing new catalysts with high activity and stability is crucial for the effective analysis of environmental pollutants under mild conditions. Here, we developed a superior catalyst of Pt single atoms anchored on MoS2 (Pt1/MoS2) to catalyze the determination of As(III). A detection sensitivity of 3.31 μA ppb–1 was obtained in acetate buffer solution at pH 6.0, which is the highest compared with those obtained by other Pt-based nanomaterials currently reported. Pt1/MoS2 exhibited excellent electrochemical stability during the detection process of As(III), even in the coexistence of Cu(II), Pb(II), and Hg(II). X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and theoretical calculations revealed that Pt single atoms were stably fixed by four S atoms and activated the adjacent S atoms. Then, Pt and S atoms synergistically interacted with O and As atoms, respectively, and transferred some electrons to H3AsO3, which change the rate-determining step of H3AsO3 reduction and reduce reaction energy barriers, thereby promoting rapid and efficient accumulation for As(0). Compared with Pt nanoparticles, the weaker interaction between arsenic species and Pt1/MoS2 enabled the effortless regeneration and cyclic utilization of active centers, which is more favorable for the oxidation of As(0). This work provides inspiration for developing highly efficient sensing platforms from the perspective of atomic-level catalysis and affords references to explore the detection mechanism of such contaminants.