Zn- and Cd-based coordination polymers with a novel anthracene dicarboxylate ligand for highly selective detection of hydrogen peroxide.

A one-dimensional {[Zn(L)(DMF)2]}n (1) and a three-dimensional {[Cd(L)(DMF)]·DMF}n (2) coordination polymer based on the novel anthracene derivative H2L (H2L = 4,4'-(9,10-anthracenediyl)dicinnamic acid) were obtained by solvothermal synthesis and charaterised by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, and infrared spectroscopy. The anthracene derivative H2L and coordination polymers 1 and 2 were used to modify a glassy carbon electrode and as such served as an active material for detection of H2O2. Cyclic voltammograms in the potential range from 0 to -0.5 V revealed concentration-dependent cathodic current in all three cases with a lower detection limit of 200 μM. The electrode modified with compound 2 showed the best performance towards hydrogen peroxide detection. The results suggest that the development of electrodes modified with inorganic polymers based on highly conjugated ligands can serve as potential electrocatalytic materials.