Electrochemical sensor based on cobalt single-atom anchored porous carbon composite for sensitive detection of acetaminophen

In this work, a sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor for acetaminophen (AP) was developed using cobalt single-atom anchored porous carbon (Co-N-C@PC) composites. Porous carbon (PC) was first prepared by calcination of sodium citrate. Then, PC was added to synthesize Co/Zn Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-anchored PC precursors (Co/Zn ZIF@PC), which were subsequently calcined to obtain Co-N-C@PC. The prepared electrochemical sensor is simple and sensitive and can quickly and quantitatively detect AP, with a linear range of 0.1–25 μM and a low detection limit of 34.1 nM. In addition, the proposed electrochemical sensor was successfully employed for the detection of AP in water and tablet samples, confirming that it can be used as an alternative approach for the rapid detection of AP using single atom-based catalysts.