AbstractNanostructured iron (III) oxide was prepared by a facile hydrothermal method using poly(triazine imide) (PTI) as a sacrificial template. The physicochemical properties of pristine iron oxide and its analogue obtained in the presence of PTI confirmed strong effect of the latter as the morphology improving agent. Moreover, application of nitrogen rich semiconducting polymer during hydrothermal synthesis increased number of defects. The obtained sample was used as an electroactive additive for carbon‐paste electrode. PTI‐modified sample demonstrated 1.52 times higher oxidation current, and 1.39 lower charge transfer resistance compared to hematite obtained without PTI, as was confirmed by CV and EIS data. Therefore, it was proposed to use the as a sensor for the detection of gallic acid. The developed method showed excellent linearity within a concentration range of 67 nM to 17.7 µM with a detection limit equal to 44 nM and limit of quantification of 132 nM. Stablitity and reproducibility tests, as well as real sample analysis confirmed applicability of the proposed sensor for practical application. Excellent electrochemical properties of the submicron hematite particles are attributed to the developed lattice defects, which served as reaction centers and charge transducing points.
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