Ordered mesoporous NiCo2O4 nanospheres as a novel electrocatalyst platform for 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol individual sensing application

The novel ordered mesoporous NiCo2O4 (meso-NiCo2O4) nanospheres were synthesized by the nanocasting strategy followed by a calcination process for 2-naphthol (2-NAP) and 1-naphthol (1-NAP) individual sensing application. The as-obtained meso-NiCo2O4 material possesses mesoporous structure in spinel crystalline type with a larger specific surface area than other structures. The meso-NiCo2O4-modified carbon paste electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance for NAP detection by amperometry measurement. The fabricated sensor of 2-NAP and 1-NAP has a wide linear detection range (0.02–300 and 0.02–20 μM) with high sensitivity (1.822 and 1.510 μA μM–1 cm–2) and low limit of detection (0.007 and 0.007 μM), respectively. In addition, the NAP sensors possess excellent reproducibility, stability, and selectivity.