Screen-printed graphite electrode modified with Co3O4 nanoparticles and 2D graphitic carbon nitride as an effective electrochemical sensor for 4-aminophenol detection

Abstract

We fabricated a new electrochemical 4-aminophenol sensor based on a nanocomposite of Co3O4 nanoparticles and graphite carbon nitride (Co3O4@g-C3N4), used for the modification of a screen-printed electrode (Co3O4@g-C3N4/SPE). The synthesized nanocomposite was characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) techniques. The electro-oxidation of 4-aminophenol in phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.0) was investigated via cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The peak current of oxidation in the optimized conditions had a linear relationship with various 4-aminophenol contents (0.05–780.0 μM) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996 and the limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 1.5 × 10−8 M. The developed method was successful to determine 4-aminophenol in real specimens, with acceptable outcomes.