Cobalt-iron selenides embedded in porous carbon nanofibers for simultaneous electrochemical detection of trace of hydroquinone, catechol and resorcinol

Abstract

In this study, cobalt-iron selenides embedded in porous carbon nanofibers (CoFe2Se4/PCF), derived from Prussian blue analogues, was prepared as a novel phenolic sensor. The obtained CoFe2Se4/PCF nanocomposites show three-dimensional (3D) networks nanostructures that can supply a desirable conductive network to accelerate electron transfer and avoid the aggregation of CoFe2Se4 nanoparticles. Electrochemical detection of hydroquinone (HQ), catechol (CC) and resorcinol (RS), at CoFe2Se4/PCF modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were researched. The results show the obtained 3D CoFe2Se4/PCF/GCE exhibits excellent electrochemical properties towards the simultaneous testing trace of HQ, CC and RS. The obtained electrode provides wide linear ranges of 0.5–200, 0.5–190 and 5–350 μM and low detection limit of 0.13, 0.15 and 1.36 μM for HQ, CC and RS, respectively. The as-prepared phenolic sensor displays satisfied selectivity and long-term storage stability. In addition, the constructed sensor can be used to determine HQ, CC and RS in actual samples.