Oyster Pearl-Shaped Ternary Iron Chalcogenide, FeSe0.5Te0.5, Films on FTO through Electrochemical Growth from the Exchange of Chalcogens Boosted the Enzyme-Free Urea-Sensing Ability toward Real Analytes

Here, iron chalcogenide thin films were developed for the first time by using the less hazardous electrodeposition technique at optimized conditions on an FTO glass substrate. The chalcogenides have different surface, morphological, structural, and optical properties, as well as an enzyme-free sensing behavior toward urea. Numerous small crystallites of about ∼20 to 25 nm for FeSe, ∼18 to 25 nm for FeTe, and ∼18 to 22 nm in diameter for FeSeTe are observed with partial agglomeration under an electron microscope, having a mixed phase of tetragonal and orthorhombic structures of FeSe, FeTe, and, FeSeTe, respectively. Profilometry, XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XPS, EDX, UV-vis spectroscopy, and FT-IR spectroscopy were used for the analysis of binary and ternary composite semiconductors, FeSe, FeTe, and FeSeTe, respectively. Electrochemical experiments were conducted with the chalcogenide thin films and urea as the analyte in phosphate-buffered media at a pH of ∼ 7.4 in the concentration range of 3-413 μM. Cyclic voltammetry was performed to determine the sensitivity of the prepared electrode at an optimized scan rate of 50 mV s-1. The electrodeposited chalcogenide films appeared with a low detection limit and satisfactory sensitivity, of which the ternary chalcogenide film has the lowest LOD of 1.16 μM and the maximum sensitivity of 74.22 μA μM-1 cm-2. The transition metal electrode has a very wide range of detection limit of 1.25-2400 μM with a short response time of 4 s. This fabricated biosensor is capable of exhibiting almost 75% of its starting activity after 2 weeks of storage in the freezer at 4 °C. Simple methods of preparation, a cost-effective process, and adequate electrochemical sensing of urea confirm that the prepared sensor is suitable as an enzyme-free urea sensor and can be utilized for future studies.