An ultrafine ZnO/ZnNi2O4@porous carbon@covalent-organic framework for electrochemical detection of paracetamol and tert-butyl hydroquinone

An electrochemical sensor based on ultrafine ZnO/ZnNi2O4 @porous carbon@covalent-organic framework (COF) was constructed for the detection of paracetamol (PA) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). First, Ni-doped zeolite imidazolium framework-8 (ZIF-8) was used as pyrolysis precursor to obtain porous carbonencapsulated ultrafine ZnO/ZnNi2O4 (ZnO/ZnNi2O4 @porous carbon) with a specific surface area of about 1130 m(2) g(-1). Then, COFTM was grew on ZnO/ZnNi2O4 @porous carbon by amine-aldehyde condensation reaction between 3,5-triformylphloroglucinol (TPF) and 1,3,4,6,7,9,9b-heptaazaphenalene-2,5,8-triamine (ML) around the ZnO/ZnNi2O4 @porous carbon. The ultrafine ZnO/ZnNi2O4 nanoparticles were evenly dis-persed in porous carbon. The N,O-rich COFTM was used as the outer shell to enhance the stability of ZnO/ ZnNi2O4 @porous carbon and simultaneously could enrich the PA/TBHQ and improve selectivity of sensor. The electrochemical sensor based on the core-shell structured nanocomposite exhibited wide linear ranges of 48.5 nM-130 mu M and 47.85 nM-130 mu M for detecting PA and TBHQ. The PA and TBHQ sensor also showed good stability, selectivity and sensitivity. This work not only provides a new method for the detection of drug molecules and additives in food but also gives an idea to improve the selectivity and stability of electrochemical sensor. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

An electrochemical sensor based on ultrafine ZnO/ZnNi2O4 @porous carbon@covalent-organic framework (COF) was constructed for the detection of paracetamol (PA) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). The sensor exhibited wide linear ranges and good stability, selectivity, and sensitivity.