Hydrothermal synthesis of urchin-like Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanostructures and their electrochemical sensing performance of H{sub 2}O{sub 2}

Nanostructured tricobalt tetraoxide, Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}, was hydrothermally synthesized starting from cobalt dichloride hexahydrate (CoCl{sub 2}·6H{sub 2}O) and urea (H{sub 2}NCONH{sub 2}) as precursor and polyethylene glycol-400 (PEG-400) as a structure-directing agent. Uniform urchin-like nanostructures were hydrothermally obtained at 150 °C for 16 h, and the Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} morphology did not collapse after a subsequent calcination at 300 °C for 2 h. XRD measurements indicated that the average sizes of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} particles prior and after heating at 300 °C are 64 and 44 nm, respectively. This material has been successfully used for the nanostructuration of screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) which were used for the sensitive electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}). The sensor is endowed with a large dynamic range (0.1 to 50 µM) and a limit of detection of 0.145 µM. The as obtained results show that the Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanomaterial could be a candidate to be used as sensors for the detection of analytes. - Graphical abstract: The nanowires appear to have a common center and grow to the outside along the radial direction. - Highlights: • Nanostructured was hydrothermally prepared using PEG-400. • Uniform urchin-like Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanostructures were hydrothermally obtained. • X-ray diffraction showed a cubic structure after calcinations process. • Nanostructured Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} was used for the sensitive electrochemical detection of H{sub 2}O{sub 2.} • The sensor is endowed with a large dynamic range 0.1 to 50 µM.