Imidazolium Ionic Liquid Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes for Improved Interfacial Charge Transfer and Simultaneous Determination of Dihydroxybenzene Isomers

In this paper; an imidazolium ionic liquid (IL) is used to functionalize multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by covalent bonding on the MWNT surface. The functionalization not only provides a hydrophilic surface for ion accessibility but also prevents the aggregation of MWNTs. The IL-functionalized MWNTs were then applied for the electrochemical determination of the dihydroxybenzene isomers hydroquinone (HQ); catechol (CC); and resorcinol (RC), exhibiting excellent recognition ability towards the three compounds. The linear calibration ranges for HQ; CC and RC are 0.9–150 μM; 0.9–150 μM and 1.9–145 μM and the detection limits are found to be 0.15 μM for HQ; 0.10 μM for CC and 0.38 μM for RC based on S/N of 3. The proposed electrochemical sensor was also found to be useful for the determination of the dihydroxybenzene isomers in Yellow River water with reliable recovery.