In this work, we report on a dual functional Nb2CTx @Pt nanocomposite, which shows good promise for the detection of physiologically relevant L-Cysteine (L-Cys) and for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The nanocomposite material was synthesized using a facile self-reduction strategy, after which Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) were found to be deposited on Nb2CTx layered structure. The optimum loading of PtNPs on the nanocomposite was also optimized and it was found that Nb2CTx@Pt0.48 produced the best results for both sensing and OER applications. This Nb2CTx@Pt0.48 nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was able to detect L-Cys in the linear range of 100 pM-10 μM with a LOD of 41 pM along with high selectivity. Also, Nb2CTx@Pt0.48 was able to produce the best OER performance by attaining an OER current of 10 mA cm−2 at a potential of 1.5 V (vs Ag/AgCl) in addition to showcasing good durability even after the performance of an accelerated durability test of 500 cycles in the absence of binder molecules. This dual functional Nb2CTx @Pt0.48 nanocomposite has the capability to benefit both the healthcare and energy generation scenarios thus showing its versatility. © 2022 The Electrochemical Society (“ECS”). Published on behalf of ECS by IOP Publishing Limited.