Short rod-like Ni-MOF anchored on graphene oxide nanosheets: A promising voltammetric platform for highly sensitive determination of p-chloronitrobenzene

Abstract Constructing a sensitive voltammetric platform to analyze highly toxic organic pollutant p-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) is highly desirable in environmental monitoring. Herein, a composite consisting of nickel-based metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) and graphene oxide (GO) was successfully prepared by facile and cost-efficient chemical precipitation, and it was further used as a modified material to develop an electrochemical sensor for p-CNB. Electrochemical properties of as-prepared sensor were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. As a result, the composite sensor showed superior electrocatalytic performance towards the oxidation of p-CNB in a concentration range of 0.10–300.0 μM, and the detection limit was 8.0 nM (S/N = 3). Furthermore, as-prepared Ni-MOF/GO composite based sensor exhibited favorable reproducibility, durable stability and prominent selectivity. The practicability of the sensor was evaluated by detecting p-CNB in real tap water samples and satisfactory recovery rates were obtained, revealing its potential application for detection of p-CNB in water environment.