Biomass derived carbon quantum dots embedded PEDOT/CFP electrode for the electrochemical detection of phloroglucinol

Carbon nanocomposites have garnered a lot of attention among various nanomaterials due to their distinct characteristics, such as large surface area, biocompatibility, and concise synthetic routes. They are also a viable contender for electrochemical applications, notably sensing, due to their intriguing electrochemical features, which include large electroactive surface area, outstanding electrical conductivity, electrocatalytic activity, and high porosity and adsorption capability. Herein, an electrochemical sensor for phloroglucinol (PL) was designed using a CFP electrode modified with biomass-derived carbon quantum dots (S-CQD) doped on conducting organic polymer poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) via electrodeposition method. The obtained nanocomposite (S-CQD+PEDOT) on the CFP electrode possesses a high surface area. The higher electrocatalytic activity of S-CQD and significant conductivity of PEDOT- modified electrode enhance the electrocatalytic activity for the phloroglucinol oxidation. The oxidation peak current of PL shows a higher response on the finally modified electrode than the other electrodes. The developed electrochemical sensor for the selective and sensitive detection of PL showed a good linear range of 36 -360 nM and a detection limit of 11 nM. The modified electrodes were characterized using Transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS). Finally, the developed method was successfully used to detect Phloroglucinol from industrial effluents with RSD (0.84–1.02%) and (98.5–101.2%) of recovery.