Research advances in chemical sensing of p-Aminophenol: A review

Abstract

p-Aminophenol (PAP) is a phenolic compound commonly used in industrial production and drug synthesis. Detecting PAP in trace amounts is particularly important, because PAP can pollute the environment, affect the growth and development of aquatic organisms, and is harmful to human beings because of its nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and teratogenicity. This paper reviews the research progress of Electrochemical (EC), Colorimetric (CM) and Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors for the detection of PAP in recent years. Among them, EC sensing utilizes high conductivity nanoparticles and synthetic nanomaterials to amplify PAP signals synergistically, providing regular pores and active sites, and achieving microdetection. The prepared sensors have demonstrated excellent performance, reaching a limit of detection (LOD) at the nM level. Colorimetric sensing combines electrochemical methods and colorimetric analysis, widely applicable to the sensitive detection of PAP and other fields. Photoelectrochemical sensing utilizes the photocurrent generated by electron-hole pairs to achieve the concentration detection of PAP. A comparison of the performance of these three chemical sensors revealed that PEC has a lower LOD and higher sensitivity for rapid on-site detection. There are not many studies on PEC at present, and there is a broader research prospect and development space in the future. Reviewing the detection research of PAP in recent years can provide ideas and guidance programs for the development and research of PAP chemical sensors later.