Electrochemical preparation of a three dimensional PEDOT–CuxO hybrid for enhanced oxidation and sensitive detection of hydrazine

Abstract

In this study, a sensitive hydrazine sensor based on Cu_xO decorated three dimensional poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene) (3D-PEDOT) was developed. A 3D-PEDOT–Cu_xO hybrid was prepared through a facile electrochemical deposition and cyclic voltammetry treatment process. The hybrid material was characterized by scanning microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Raman, and electrochemical methods. It was found that 3D-PEDOT not only acts as a matrix to increase the loading amount of Cu_xO and enhances the conductivity, but also directly contributes to the catalytic oxidation of hydrazine. Owing to the synergistic interaction between 3D-PEDOT and Cu_xO, the 3D-PEDOT–Cu_xO hybrid displayed obviously enhanced catalysis for hydrazine oxidation with lower overpotential and stronger oxidation current compared to single component Cu_xO or 3D-PEDOT. The hydrazine sensor based on the 3D-PEDOT–Cu_xO hybrid exhibited a one order of magnitude wider linear range (0.5 μM to 53 mM), ten-fold lower detection limit (0.2 μM) and higher stability compared to those of the sensor based on Cu_xO. The proposed sensor was also used for the determination of hydrazine in real water samples with a satisfactory recovery.