Electrochemical strategy based on the synergistic effect of ZIF-8 and MWCNTs for quantitation of tert-butylhydroquinone in oils and fried chips

A facile, ultra-sensitive and cost-effective electrochemical sensor was successfully prepared by combining metal–organic framework ZIF-8 with MWCNTs-COOH, which detecting of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) in edible oil and fried foods. The hydrothermally synthesized ZIF-8 material with microporous structure was demonstrated to have large specific surface area, and together with the MWCNTs-COOH with high electrical conductivity and catalytic properties, was used as a modified substrate for electrodes. Because of the synergistic effect between ZIF-8 and MWCNTs-COOH, the modified electrode exhibited significant electrocatalytic ability for TBHQ. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the ZIF-8/MWCNTs-COOH modified electrode obtained good linearity when the TBHQ concentration ranged from 0.01 to 25.0 μg mL−1 with the LOD (limit of detection) of 0.009 μg mL−1 (S/N = 3). Moreover, the constructed electrochemical sensor exhibits better anti-interference capability, reproducibility and stability, and can be used to monitor the content of TBHQ in oil and fried foods.