The determination of 2-phenylphenol in the presence of 4-chlorophenol using nano-Fe3O4/ionic liquid paste electrode as an electrochemical sensor.

A voltammetric sensor was fabricated for the determination of 2-phenylphenol (2-PP) as a water pollutant. The sensor was prepared by modifying carbon paste electrode (CPE) with a composite of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) and ionic liquid (n-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate; (HMPF6)). The Fe3O4-NPs was synthesized by co-precipitation and characterized by FESEM, MAP, AFM and XRD methods. The presence of Fe3O4-NPs and HMPF6 in CPE improved the catalytic activity of the electrode towards the oxidation of 2-PP. The Fe3O4-NPs/HMPF6/CPE displayed two well separated oxidation signals in a solution containing 2-PP and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP). A peak separation of 380 mV was obtained, which implies that the sensor can be used for the simultaneous determination of the two water contaminants. The Fe3O4-NPs/HMPF6/CPE displayed a linear dynamic range 0.01-520 μM for 2-PP. The sensor showed good recovery data for the analysis of 2-PP and 4-CL in orange rind, lemon rind and different water samples.