One-step synthesis of three-dimensional interconnected porous carbon and their modified electrode for simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol

Sodium citrate-derived three-dimensional (3D) interconnected porous carbon (3DIPC) material is successfully synthesized through an easy and one-step pyrolysis reaction without templates and substrates. The structural characterization reveals that the 3DIPC materials are formed by ultrathin nanosheets with porous structure. The thickness of the nanosheets is about 1.5 nm. Moreover, the nanosheets of 3DIPC material are nonoverlapping interconnected and connect to each other to form a complicated 3D framework, which finally form a carbon foam. Such unique structure made 3DIPC material has considerable practical application prospect. To demonstrate its potential application, it was used as an electrode material for simultaneous determination of hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CA). Under the optimal condition, very low detection limits (2.1 × 10−8 M for HQ and 3.7 × 10−8 M for CA) and high sensitivities were achieved.