Ternary Z-scheme heterojunction of Bi SPR-promoted BiVO4/g-C3N4 with effectively boosted photoelectrochemical activity for constructing oxytetracycline aptasensor

Developing photoactive materials with wide spectral response is critical to improve the sensitivity of PEC biosensors. Herein, a sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor was fabricated based on Bi surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-promoted BiVO4/g-C3N4 (Bi/BiVO4/g-C3N4) as photoactive material for the detection of oxytetracycline (OTC). Ternary Z-scheme Bi/BiVO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction exhibited widest spectral response and best PEC activity compared to g-C3N4, BiVO4, Bi/BiVO4, and BiVO4/g-C3N4. The wide spectral response and high PEC activity could be attributed to three reasons: Firstly, the SPR effect of Bi could greatly increase light harvesting; Secondly, Bi served as an electron conduction bridge between BiVO4 and g-C3N4 to form Z-scheme structure, significantly accelerating the separation of photogenerated carriers; Thirdly, the synergism of Z-scheme heterojunction and the SPR effect of Bi efficiently boosted the photoelectric response. Based on the above sensitization strategies, the proposed PEC aptasensor for OTC determination showed a wide linear range of 0.01–1000 nM and a low detection limit (S/N = 3) of 3.3 × 10−3 nM. Moreover, the high stability, satisfactory repeatability and favorable practicability of the fabricated PEC aptasensor revealed the potential applications for accurate monitoring of antibiotics in environmental media. •A ternary Z-scheme Bi/BiVO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction was prepared by in-situ reduction of BiVO4/g-C3N4.•Plasmonic Bi served as an electron conduction bridge between BiVO4 and g-C3N4 to form the Z-scheme structure.•The Bi/BiVO4/g-C3N4 displayed highest photocurrent compared with g-C3N4, BiVO4, Bi/BiVO4, and BiVO4/g-C3N4.•A PEC aptasensor was successfully established for detection of oxytetracycline.•The constructed oxytetracycline aptasensor showed a wide linear range and low detection limit.