One-step synthesis of AuNPs decorated PEDOT nano-horns for simultaneously sensing hydroquinone and catechol

In this work, an electrochemical sensor for simultaneous detection of hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC) has been developed based on nanocomposite of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) decorated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nano-horns. AuNPs-PEDOT nanocomposite with a novel porous structure formed by lots of interconnected horn-like PEDOT has been facially prepared via a one-pot interfacial polymerization. The top and root-end diameters of horn-like PEDOT are around10 nm and 100 nm, respectively, while AuNPs with diameter ranging from 3 to 10 nm are evenly dispersed on PEDOT. The as-synthesized AuNPs-PEDOT nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) exhibits high electrocatalytic property and excellent selectivity towards the redox reaction of HQ and CC. The AuNPs-PEDOT/GCE can simultaneously detect HQ and CC with detection limits (S/N = 3) of 0.38 µM and 0.43 µM for HQ and CC respectively. Moreover, the modified electrode has excellent selectivity and is successfully applied to detect HQ and CC in real tap water sample with recovery of 95.2–104.1% and 96.2–105.6%, respectively.