Synthesis of Ni(OH)2 nanoplates on Cu rod and its applications for electrochemical sensors

β-Nickel hydroxide nanoplates were synthesized on Cu rods by a simple hydrothermal method without the use of surfactants. A novel Ni(OH)2 nanoplates/Cu rod electrode for hydrazine and non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide was then fabricated and designated as β-Ni(OH)2 nanoplates/Cu rod electrode (β-Ni(OH)2 NPS/CRE). This electrode was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and the typical amperometric response (I–t) method. β-Ni(OH)2 NPS/CRE has a wide linear range for the detection of hydrazine, from 1 to 15,931 μM, with a low detection limit of 0.3 μM (S/N = 3) and a response time of less than 3 s. Its detection of hydrogen peroxide, has two linear ranges (5–7612.5 μM for I; 8862.5–17,612.5 μM for II) with an optimized detection limit of 1.68 μM (S/N = 3) and a response time of less than 3 s. The results revealed that β-Ni(OH)2 NPS/CRE had favorable electrochemical responses toward those environmental pollutants.