In situ formation of Co3O4 nanoparticles embedded N-doped porous carbon nanocomposite: a robust material for electrocatalytic detection of anticancer drug flutamide and supercapacitor application.

Abstract

Theone-step synthesis of heteroatom-doped porous carbons is reportedwith the in situ formation of cobalt oxide nanoparticles for dual electrochemical applications (i.e., electrochemical sensor and supercapacitor). A single molecular template of zeolitic imidazole framework-67 (ZIF-67) was utilized for the solid-state synthesis of cobalt oxide nanoparticle-decorated nitrogen-doped porous carbon (Co3O4@NPC) nanocomposite through a facile calcination treatment. For the first time, Co3O4@NPC nanocomposite derived from ZIF-67 has been applied as an electrode material for the efficient electrochemical detection of anticancer drug flutamide (FLU). The cyclic voltammetry studies were performed in the operating potential from 0.15 to - 0.65V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Interestingly, the fabricated drug sensor exhibited a very low reduction potential (- 0.42V) compared to other reported sensors. The fabricated sensor exhibited good analytical performance in terms of low detection limit (12nM), wide linear range (0.5 to 400μM), and appreciable recovery results (~ 98%, RSD 1.7% (n= 3)) in a human urine sample. Hereafter, we also examined the supercapacitor performance of the Co3O4@NPC-modified Ni foam in a 1M KOH electrolyte, and noticeable a specific capacitance of 525Fg-1 at 1.5 A g-1 was attained, with long-term cycling stability. TheCo3O4@NPC nanocomposite supercapacitor experiments outperform the associated MOF-derived carbons and the Co3O4-based nanostructure-modified electrodes.