Electrochemical sensing for 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene based on β-cyclodextrin/carbon nanohorn nanohybrids

Abstract

The occurrence of 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene (CNB) in the environment due to increased agricultural and economic activities worldwide has been a serious concern for various environmental agencies; hence the qualitative and quantitative determination of CNB is of great significance. In this study, we took into consideration the features of carbon nanohorns (CNHs), such as high surface area and electron transfer ability, and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), such as high host–guest recognition ability with a hydrophilic outer layer, to design a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for detecting CNB by preparing CNHs and β-CD nanohybrids through a simple ultrasonication process. The outcome of our study revealed that the CNHs/β-CD nanohybrid modified electrode is an excellent electrochemical sensor for CNB. Under the optimized conditions, the experimental results show a considerable linear response range, unsubstantial interference from familiar organic and inorganic compounds and a detection limit of 9.0 nM.