Synthesis of BiDy composite oxide nanoflakes with good electrochemical properties

Bismuth dysprosium (BiDy) composite oxide nanoflakes with a thickness of about 50 nm were synthesized using a one-step hydrothermal method. Electrodes modified with BiDy composite oxide nanoflakes exhibited a superior electrochemical behavior for detecting l-cysteine using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) method. The impacts of scan rate, electrolyte and concentration of l-cysteine on electrochemical behaviors were investigated. A pair of strong quasi-reversible CV peaks was observed at +0.03 V (cvp1) and −0.69 V (cvp1′) with peak currents of 171.2 and 171.3 μA, respectively, for a BiDy-composite-oxide-nanoflake-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in 0.1 M potassium chloride (KCl) and 2 mM l-cysteine solution. The GCE modified with BiDy composite oxide nanoflakes displayed a broad range of linearity (0.001–2 mM) and a low detection limit (0.29 μM) for l-cysteine. Using a hydrothermal approach as a synthesis technique for nanoflakes, a facile and sensitive electrochemical sensor based on nanoflakes was developed for detecting l-cysteine, making it a promising approach for practical application.