Simultaneous electrochemical determination of nitrophenol isomers with the polyfurfural film modified glassy carbon electrode

• The modified electrode exhibits electrocatalytic activity towards reduction of nitro.
• The modified electrode is used for simultaneous determination of nitrophenol isomers.
• The modified electrode shows much lower detection limits or wider linear range.
• The proposed method can determine nitrophenol isomers in real water samples.

A simple and highly selective electrochemical sensor based on a polyfurfural film modified glassy carbon electrode was developed for simultaneous detection of nitrophenol isomers. The modified electrode exhibited remarkable electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of nitro. The redox peaks for each nitrophenol isomer can be well resolved and their simultaneous determination was achieved. Under optimal conditions, the proposed sensor had wider linear ranges of 5–100 μmol L−1, 0.75–100 μmol L−1 and 0.75–100 μmol L−1 with lower detection limits of 0.3, 0.05 and 0.04 μmol L−1 for o-nitrophenol, m-nitrophenol and p-nitrophenol, respectively. The modified electrode also showed promising selectivity, stability and reproducibility. Moreover, the proposed sensor can be applied to simultaneous determination of nitrophenol isomers in real water samples, giving satisfactory recoveries.