Conductive Carbon from Taro Stems for Simultaneous Detection of Hydroquinone and Catechol

This study shows that incorporating taro carbon (TC) into a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) significantly enhanced surface charge transfer characteristics and conductivity and successfully separated the hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CT). Moreover, TC on the GCE surface reduced the overpotential of HQ and CT oxidation. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), the surface morphology and elemental composition of TC was investigated. The enhanced electron transfer process at TC-GCE was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) investigation. Scan rate analysis revealed that HQ and CT exhibited a higher oxidation affinity at TC-GCE, with diffusion-regulated anodic processes. Quantitative analysis showed a linear detection range of 5–200 μM for both HQ and CT, with LOD values of 0.47 μM for HQ and 0.51 μM for CT respectively. The modified electrode showed excellent selectivity, stability, and high recovery rates for detecting HQ and CT in tap water.