A core-shell MOF-derived Cu/Cu2O porous carbon composite for simultaneous detection of acetaminophen and p-aminophenol

The simultaneous detection of acetaminophen (PA) and its toxic metabolite of 4-aminophenol (4-AP) is crucial for ensuring drug safety and controlling environmental risks. Here, a copper-based porous carbon nanocomposite (Cu/Cu 2 O@PC) derived from core-shell metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with high conductivity, abundant catalytic sites and a stable porous structure were designed and synthesized through employing a controlled pyrolysis of a precursor with Cu 2 O as the core and CuZn-BTC as the shell, which served as the foundation for constructing a highly sensitive and selective electrochemical sensing platform for simultaneous determination of PA and 4-AP. The resulting sensor exhibited excellent analytical performance under optimized conditions, including wider linear ranges (0.10–300.00 μM for PA and 0.10–400.00 μM for 4-AP), lower detection limits (0.027 μM for PA and 0.015 μM for 4-AP), as well as good reproducibility and stability. And, satisfactory recovery were achieved for real samples analysis. This work not only provides an efficient and reliable analytical method for monitoring phenolic pollutants but also offers a new strategy for designing high-performance electrochemical sensing materials based on MOF-derived architectures.