Facile design of NiO-rGO/Mo₂Ti₂C₃ ternary composites for electrochemical detection of dopamine

In this study, a ternary NiO-rGO/Mo₂Ti₂C₃ MXene hybrid materials were synthesized through an in-situ approach, integrating electrochemically active rGO derived from industrial graphite waste, Mo₂Ti₂C₃ derived from MAX phase (Mo₂Ti₂AlC₃) and NiO nanoparticles. XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, Raman spectroscopy, SEM-EDS, HR-TEM, BET, and XPS analysis were done to confirm the structural integrity and elemental composition of NiO-rGO/Mo₂Ti₂C₃. The synergistic effects of rGO and MXene with NiO nanoparticles facilitate NiO-rGO/Mo₂Ti₂C₃ as a potential electrocatalyst to enhance the electrocatalytic oxidation of dopamine. The NGM21-modified electrode exhibited superior electrochemical performance for dopamine detection, demonstrating high sensitivity (1.441 × 10⁻⁴ μA μM⁻¹), a broad detection range (0.002–0.012 μM), a limit of quantification of 4.79 nM, and a low detection limit of 1.44 nM. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry analysis of NGM21-modified electrode revealed rapid current response, excellent selectivity, and minimal interference from common analytes in the electrocatalytic detection of dopamine. Furthermore, real sample analysis demonstrated remarkable reproducibility, with recovery rates of 107 % in urine and 98–103 % in serum samples. Therefore, the results suggest that the ternary NiO-rGO/Mo₂Ti₂C₃ is a robust and reliable electrode material for the electrochemical detection of the neurotransmitter dopamine in medical applications.