Favoring the Selective H₂O₂ Generation of a Self-Antibiofouling Dissolved Oxygen Sensor for Real-Time Online Monitoring via Surface-Engineered N-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide

Abstract

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key parameter in assessing water quality, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has notable prevalence in energy conversion and biological processes, including biosensing. Nevertheless, the long-term usage of the submersible DO sensors leads to undesirable biofilm formation on the electrode surface, deteriorating their sensitivity and stability. Recently, the reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as the two-electron pathway ORR byproduct, H 2 O 2 , had been known for its biofilm−degradation activity. Herein, for the first time, we reported N-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) for H 2 O 2 selectivity as the self-antibiofouling DO sensor. Introducing foreign atom doping could reorient the electron network of graphene by the electronegativity gap, which facilitated highly selective and efficient two electron pathway of ORR. Mitigating the N content of N-rGO had enhanced the H 2 O 2 selectivity (57.5%) and electron transfer number (n = 2.84) in neutral medium. Moreover, the N-rGO could be integrated to a wireless DO monitoring device that might realize an applicable device in the aquatic fish farming.