ZnCo(OH)F-derived ZnCo2O4/MWCNTs composite for sensitive detection of 4-nitrophenol

4-Nitrophenol (4-NP), a hazardous chemical compound, presents significant risks to ecological balance, public well-being, and the integrity of the food supply chain. Consequently, the development of detection techniques characterized by both efficiency and precision is of utmost importance. In the present work, ZnCo(OH)F/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composite was synthesized through a hydrothermal approach, followed by a high-temperature annealing process to transform them into ZnCo 2 O 4 /MWCNTs tailored for electrochemical sensing of 4-NP. The integration of MWCNTs during the fabrication process induced a pronounced synergistic interaction between ZnCo 2 O 4 and MWCNTs, leading to a substantial enhancement in the electrochemical performance of the composite. The ZnCo 2 O 4 /MWCNTs-based sensors exhibit notable benefits, including an expanded electrochemically active surface area, superior electrical conductivity, and exceptional selectivity. Under optimized experimental parameters (S/N = 3), the sensor exhibited a broad linear detection range (0.5–600 μM), coupled with a lower limit of detection of 0.026 μM. When used on real samples, the sensor showed recovery rates of 98.79 %–100.47 %, indicating its feasibility for practical use in environmental monitoring and food safety evaluation.