Electrochemical determination of tert-butylhydroquinone by ZIF-67@TiO2 derived hierarchical TiO2/Co/NCNTs

A heterostructured TiO2/Co nanoparticle/N-doped carbon nanotube (TiO2/Co/NCNT) nanomaterial was derived from ZIF-67@TiO2 by calcination at high temperature in an Ar/H2 atmosphere. The obtained TiO2/Co/NCNT composite was made up of numerous dodecahedron-like boxes with twisting nanotubes on surfaces, modified on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the electrochemical determination of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). The excellent electrocatalytic performance of TBHQ could be owing to the combination of multi-phase composition, fast electron transfer and the constructed Co/Ti multi-active sites. The TiO2/Co/NCNT sensor showed a broad linearity from 0.04 to 100 μM with a low detection limit of 4 nM, and possessed stability, anti-interfering ability and reproducibility. Finally, the analytical utility of the TiO2/Co/NCNT sensor was checked by detecting TBHQ in edible oil.