SnO ₂ Nanodisks Decorated on WS ₂ Nanosheets for Phenolic Preservative Sensing in Fruit Juice

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The excessive use of food preservatives has raised growing concerns about their side effects on human health, warranting the innovation of rapid and reliable sensing platforms. Among these additives, tert -butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is widely utilized but has negative neurotoxic implications, involving tremors and other chronic problems, highlighting the urgency for advanced detection strategies. In this work, we report a novel design of a hierarchical nanocomposite composed of SnO 2 nanodisks decorated on WS 2 nanosheets synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method, followed by ultrasonic treatment. Several spectroscopic characterization techniques confirm the formation of the nanocomposite, and further electrochemical applications were performed. The distinctive disk-like SnO 2 coupled with the WS 2 nanosheet topology, generates abundant active sites, accelerating charge movement and hence improving the electrocatalytic response toward TBHQ. The WS 2 /SnO 2 nanocomposite-decorated working electrode exhibits a broad linear range from 0.06 to 918 μM, a high sensitivity of 1.713 μA μM –1, and a very low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.32 nM along with superior anti-interference characteristics. Moreover, a recovery rate of 98% in commercial fruit juices demonstrates the robustness of food safety monitoring in practical applications. Thus, the study establishes SnO 2 nanodisks designed WS 2 nanosheets as a prospective material architecture for next-generation electrochemical sensor safeguarding the food supply chain.