Open Access

ARTICLE

A Fluorescent-Electrochemical Hydrogel Sensing for H₂O₂ and Tartrazine Analysis Based on methacrylamide composite hydrogel materials (MCHM)

Peiqi Zhang^#, Weifeng Chen^#, Xiaoliang Hao^*
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan, China
* Corresponding Author: Xiaoliang Hao. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this work
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Polymer Materials for Tissue Engineering and Cell Encapsulation)

Journal of Polymer Materials https://doi.org/10.32604/jpm.2026.084020

Received 15 April 2026; Accepted 17 June 2026; Published online 10 July 2026

Abstract

Health remains a persistent focus of research. Currently, many commonly used synthetic dyes are toxic to some extent. Tartrazine is a common synthetic dye used in the food, pharmaceutical, printing, and dyeing industries. Long-term exposure to this substance or its ingestion may pose significant health risks. In addition, oxidizing agents used in water treatment may threaten environmental and human health if they are not properly controlled. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is one of the most widely used oxidants and therefore requires effective monitoring. Against this background, this study contributes to the efficient detection of environmentally harmful substances and the development of functional materials. In this study, hydrogels synthesized from methacrylamide (MAM) serve as a template, and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) synthesized from m-phenylenediamine (MPD) are incorporated into the hydrogels. Owing to their porous structure and large specific surface area, a hydrogel material exhibiting blue-green fluorescence is successfully synthesized and named MAM composite hydrogel materials (MCHM). MCHM serve as a bifunctional platform for fluorescent-electrochemical detection, and they effectively reduce the limitations of single-signal detection and enhance the reliability and accuracy of the detection process. This work provides a promising platform for developing functional sensing materials for environmental monitoring and food safety analysis.

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Keywords

Tartrazine; fluorescence; hydrogels; electrochemistry; bifunctional

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