UV-assisted synthesis of tetrapods-like titanium nitride-reduced graphene oxide nanohybrids for electrochemical determination of chloramphenicol

Tetrapods-like titanium nitride–reduced graphene oxide (TiN–rGO) nanohybrids were synthesized by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation method for the first time. With the aid of UV light, the photogenerated electrons in TiN were transfered into GO which was then reduced to form rGO, so the TiN–rGO nanohybrids were obtained. The TiN–rGO nanohybrids were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that GO could be effectively converted to rGO, and TiN–rGO nanohybrids were successfully prepared. In addition, the application of TiN–rGO nanohybrids were investigated by modified electrode, it demonstrated good performance in sensing of chloramphenicol (CAP) because of the synergic effect between tetrapods-like TiN and rGO. This idea appeared to be a very effective and simple strategy to prepare excellent TiN–rGO nanohybrid materials with promising potential in wider analytical applications including electrochemical analysis, biosensors, fuel cells and supercapacitors