Although
nitrite (NO2
–) is listed
as a poisonous inorganic pollutant that is dangerous to humans and
other creatures, it is widely used in food preservatives and agricultural
products. It is frequently detected in many foods, water, environmental
systems, and biological samples. In recent times, many techniques
for detecting and monitoring NO2
– have
been proposed. Among them, the electrochemical method has been receiving
particular attention due to its ease of operation. At the same time,
nanocrystals of metal sulfide materials have gained the attention
of researchers due to a wide range of materials with efficiently tunable
properties. This article presents a rational hydrothermal approach
to the synthesis of size- and morphology-controlled hierarchically
grown bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) nanorods. Changes
are made to the prime parameter; temperature yields the g-C3N4 nanosheets covered on the sea-urchin-like structure
of Bi2S3 nanorods. The textural characteristics,
surface morphology, and chemical compositions of g-C3N4/Bi2S3 have been studied using a selection
of spectroscopic methods. Accordingly, the produced catalysts were
examined to detect the electrochemically active NO2
–. The g-C3N4/Bi2S3-modified electrode attained a broad linear range (0.001–385.4
μM) and a higher sensitivity with a lower detection limit (0.4
nM). Therefore, g-C3N4/Bi2S3 hierarchically grown through the hydrothermal route could be a promising
sensing platform to determine NO2
– in
real-time.