Sensitive detection of the toxic impurity 4-aminophenol and acetaminophen via an electrochemical sensor based on MOF-808/AgNWs/Nafion/GCE

The presence of the toxic synthetic precursor and degradation product, 4-aminophenol (4-AP), in acetaminophen (ACOP) formulations poses significant health risks, necessitating robust analytical methods for quality control. Herein, a novel electrochemical sensor was developed based on a composite material synthesized by growing MOF-808 in situ on silver nanowires (AgNWs) via a one-pot method. The MOF-808/AgNWs composite synergistically combines the properties of both components, resulting in a sensor with excellent performance: wide linear ranges (0.1–400 μM), low detection limits (0.0175 μM for 4-AP and 0.0561 μM for ACOP), and high selectivity and stability. At the same time, the sensor also showed outstanding repeatability, reproducibility, stability and selectivity. The method was successfully applied to determine both analytes in pharmaceutical tablets and environmental water samples, achieving satisfactory recoveries. This work provides a simple, rapid, and highly sensitive platform for monitoring ACOP and 4-AP, holding great promise for pharmaceutical and environmental applications.