Determination of catechol based on gold/Ni(OH)2 nanocomposites supported on reduced graphene oxide via a one-step wet-chemical method

Here, gold/Ni(OH)2 nanocomposites supported on reduced graphene oxide (Au/Ni(OH)2/rGO) were synthesized by a one-step wet-chemical method, which were characterized by TEM, IR, SEM, XPS and XRD techniques. The experiments demonstrated that the as-prepared nanocomposites showed a collection of unique characteristics, for example, high loading and homogeneous distribution. The nanocomposite modified electrode was prepared based on a glassy carbon substrate, which possessed excellent electrocatalytic activity to the redox reaction of catechol (CC). Under optimal conditions, the concentration of CC showed a linear relationship with its response current from 0.4 μM to 33.8 μM with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.13 μM. The proposed sensor was successfully applied to detect CC in water with satisfactory results, which exhibited excellent selectivity and sensitivity, with potential applications.