Electrochemical Sensing Applications of Molybdenum Disulfide Nanomaterials

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanomaterials have emerged as versatile platforms for electrochemical sensing owing to their tunable electronic band structure, high surface area and intrinsic catalytic activity. In their two-dimensional form, MoS2 nanosheets combine semiconducting behaviour with mechanical flexibility, enabling miniaturised electrodes and diverse device architectures. Surface functionalisation with noble metals, metal oxides or conductive polymers further accelerates charge-transfer kinetics, enhances selectivity and lowers detection limits. Applications encompass the monitoring of biomolecules such as glucose and dopamine, the detection of environmental contaminants and the real-time measurement of pharmaceutical residues. Techniques including cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and impedimetric analysis are routinely employed to interrogate the electrochemical response. Recent innovations extend from non-enzymatic glucose biosensors based on MoS2/Au nanocomposites to wearable microneedle patches incorporating MoS2 hydrogels for continuous metabolite tracking. Integration with portable potentiostats and wireless data transmission systems is driving translation towards point-of-care diagnostics, environmental surveillance and industrial process control.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated a facile screen-printing approach to fabricate MoS2-based electrodes on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates. By optimising ink viscosity and MoS2 particle dimensions, homogeneous films were characterised by electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Under differential pulse voltammetry, the sensors exhibit a linear dopamine response over 1 µM to 300 µM, a sensitivity of 5.00 × 10⁻⁸ A µM⁻¹ and a detection limit of 246 nM. This work highlights the potential for low-cost, rapid production of high-performance neurotransmitter sensors suitable for clinical and research applications.

Electrochemical Sensing Applications of Molybdenum Disulfide Nanomaterials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical sensing applications of molybdenum disulfide nanomaterials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Electrochemical sensing: Analytical technique that measures electrical signals generated by redox reactions of target analytes at an electrode interface.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2): A two-dimensional semiconducting material with a layered structure and catalytic properties used in electrochemical devices.

Screen printing: Fabrication method depositing functional inks onto substrates through a patterned mesh to create electrode geometries.

Differential pulse voltammetry: Voltammetric technique applying voltage pulses atop a linear sweep to enhance sensitivity and resolution.

Potentiostat: Instrument that controls the potential difference between working and reference electrodes to carry out electrochemical measurements.

Limit of detection (LOD): The lowest concentration of an analyte that can be reliably distinguished from background noise.

References

1. Study on the performance of MoS2/Au composites for non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose detection. Materials Research Express (2024).
2. Facile fabrication of screen-printed MoS2 electrodes for electrochemical sensing of dopamine. Scientific Reports (2022).
3. Hydrogel Capacitors Based on MoS2 Nanosheets and Applications in Glucose Monitoring. Molecules (2024).
4. A customizable wireless potentiostat for assessing Ni(OH) 2 decorated vertically aligned MoS 2 thin films for electrochemical sensing of dopamine. Nanoscale Advances (2025).
5. Detection of Acetaminophen in Groundwater by Laccase-Based Amperometric Biosensors Using MoS2 Modified Carbon Paper Electrodes. Sensors (2023).