Hole-oriented interface engineering for sensitive photoelectrochemical detection of tetracycline.

Integrating a CoMn-LDH hole transport layer with BiVO4 enhances photoelectrochemical detection of tetracycline, achieving a detection limit of 8.4 nM in water samples.

• Why it matters: Efficient utilization of photogenerated holes at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface is crucial for high-performance PEC sensors, but designing effective interlayers for hole transport remains challenging.
• What they did: The study employed Kelvin probe force microscopy and in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to demonstrate that CoMn-LDH promotes hole extraction and suppresses charge recombination at the BiVO4 interface, enabling sensitive tetracycline detection across a wide linear range of 0.01-20 μM.
• The result: The PEC sensor's improved performance, including stability and recoveries in various water samples, suggests hole-oriented interfacial engineering as a promising strategy for antibiotic monitoring.