Co/Co₃O₄ Nanoparticles Coupled with Hollow Nanoporous Carbon Polyhedrons for the Enhanced Electrochemical Sensing of Acetaminophen

Abstract

Acetaminophen is found in numerous water samples worldwide, such as drinking water and pond water. Nearly half of the drug-induced acute liver failure cases are related to acetaminophen. Herein, by engineering a novel nonspherical polydopamine@zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (PDA@ZIF-67) template, a facile and effective strategy including the pyrolysis and subsequent oxidation is proposed to build Co/Co3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) coupled with hollow nanoporous carbon polyhedrons (Co/Co3O4@HNCP). Then, a highly sensitive and selective Co/Co3O4@HNCP sensor for the electrochemical sensing of acetaminophen is constructed. The as-synthesized hollow carbon polyhedrons present plentiful active sites, ordered nanoporous architectures, and favorable interface properties. The numerous Co/Co3O4 NPs on hollow carbon polyhedrons exhibit a high activity toward acetaminophen oxidation, thereby resulting in highly sensitive responses. The organized porous architectures and favorable interface properties of hollow carbon polyhedrons endow the constructed Co/Co3O4@HNCP sensor with a high selectivity. Consequently, the constructed Co/Co3O4@HNCP sensor presented a prominent performance for acetaminophen sensing with a very low detection limit of 0.0083 μM (S/N = 3), a persistent anti-interference ability, and the satisfactory stability. Additionally, the constructed Co/Co3O4@HNCP sensor achieved practical uses for the sensing of acetaminophen in tap water, pond water, commercial tablets, and human urine with satisfactory recoveries. This study paves a way for the establishment of high-performance sensors based on novel nanostructures with precise compositions.