Synthesis hexagonal ß-Ni(OH)2 nanosheets for use in electrochemistry sensors

Hexagonal β-Ni(OH)2 nanosheets were synthesized by a simple template- and surfactant-free hydrothermal approach. They were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The nanosheets were incorporated, along with chitosan, into an amperometric sensor which displayed a good performance in terms of detection of hydrogen peroxide. The linear range is from 5.0 µM to 0.145 mM, the sensitivity is 24.76 µA mM−1, the detection limit is 0.5 µM, and the response time is <5 s. The sensor was successfully applied to detect pyrocatechol (PC) and hydroquinone (HQ) via cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry and also enabled simultaneous determination of both PC and HQ.