MOF-derived Bi@C nanocomposites electrode simultaneous detection of hydroquinone and catechol

[Display omitted] •Bi-MOF was used as a precursor to prepare its derivative Bi@C, which has good performance in the detection of isomers.•The Bi@C formed by simple heat treatment of MOF ameliorates the poor electrical conductivity of MOF and the electrode prepared from Bi@C has excellent electrochemical detection performance.•The greater number of active sites and large specific surface area of Bi@C can solve the problems of poor selectivity and environmental interference in the detection of isomers with similar structures and properties. Electrochemical detection techniques are not sensitive in detecting isomers with similar structures and properties due to the disadvantages of some sensors such as instability, poor selectivity and susceptibility to environmental interference. Therefore, calcined metal–organic framework structure (Bi-MOF) was used to prepare its derivative Bi@C nanocomposites, and materials with multiple surface active sites and large specific surface area were developed to improve the current response signal of the detected substance. The morphology and structure of the prepared Bi@C were tested by XRD, SEM and other characterisation means. The electrochemical response of Bi@C nanocomposites was studied using an electrochemical workstation for hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC) electrochemical detection. An electrochemical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol in a simple and highly selective manner. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used for simultaneous detection of HQ and CC. The results show that Bi@C electrode can detect isomers with high selectivity. Bi@C was detected in the range of 2–600 μM and 2–800 μM for HQ and CC, respectively, in pH = 7 solution. The detection limits were 0.14 μM and 0.12 μM(S/N = 3), respectively. The sensor is successfully applied to detect HQ and CC of real samples and has low detection limit, good recovery, high selectivity, stability and reproducibility. It provides a new idea for electrochemical detection.