Ag/Cu2O nanoarray sensors for rapid detection of Bio-H2S in human blood

Abstract

The concentration of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in human blood is closely associated with various chronic diseases. Therefore, it is imperative to design a sensor that can conveniently, rapidly, and accurately detect H2S in human blood at room temperature. In this work, we developed an Ag/Cu2O-based sensor using a two-dimensional electrodeposition in situ assembly method for detecting biological hydrogen sulfide (bio-H2S). The morphological and structural properties indicate that a distinct contact interface has been established between Ag and Cu2O. The sensor exhibits high selectivity, good stability, and a strong linear response within the range of 50–250 μM (R2 = 0.999 58). At room temperature, the sensor displayed a remarkable response of up to 12 704.35% when exposed to 250 μM bio-H2S in blood, with a response time of just 40 s. The great sensing ability of Ag/Cu2O nanoarray for bio-H2S detection is mainly attributed to Schottky barrier modulation of Ag/Cu2O, catalytic sensitization of Ag nanowires, and vulcanization reaction of Cu2O. These results provide significant perspectives for the early diagnosis of chronic diseases and the real-time monitoring of blood-related diseases.