Hydrogen peroxide determination by carbon ceramic electrodes modified with pyrocatechol violet

A pyrocatechol violet (PCV) modified carbon ceramic electrode (CCE) prepared by sol–gel technique was reported for the first time in this paper. By immersing the CCE in aqueous solution of PCV for only a short time, a thin film of PCV was rapidly formed on the surface of the electrode because of strong adsorption of PCV. The resulting modified electrode exhibit a well-defined redox couple attributed to reduction and oxidation of quinine–hydroquinone functionalities. The PCV-modified CCE exhibited catalytic activity toward the electro-reduction of hydrogen peroxide, with the sensitivity of 11.2 nA μM−1 and the response time was less than 3 s. In addition, the PCV-modified CCE exhibited a distinct advantage of simple preparation, surface renewal, good stability and reproducibility.