Flavonoids have a variety of physiological activities such as anti-free radicals, regulating hormone levels, antibacterial factors, and anti-cancer factors, which are widely present in edible and medicinal plants. Real-time detection of flavonoids is a key step in the quality control of diverse matrices closely related to social, economic, and health issues. Traditional detection methods are time-consuming and require expensive equipment and complicated working conditions. Therefore, electrochemical sensors with high sensitivity and fast detection speed have aroused extensive research interest. Carbon nanomaterials are preferred material in improving the performance of electrochemical sensing. In this paper, we review the progress of electrochemical sensors based on carbon nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon and graphene quantum dots, mesoporous carbon, and carbon black for detecting flavonoids in food and drug homologous substances in the last four years. In addition, we look forward to the prospects and challenges of this research field.

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as a crucial signal molecule plays a vital part in the growth and development of various cells under normal physiological conditions. The development of H₂O₂ sensors has received great research interest because of the importance of H₂O₂ in biological systems and its practical applications in other fields. In this study, a H₂O₂ electrochemical sensor was constructed based on chalcogenide molybdenum disulfide–gold–silver nanocomposite (MoS₂-Au-Ag). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were utilized to characterize the nanocomposites, and the electrochemical performances of the obtained sensor were assessed by two electrochemical detection methods: cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results showed that the MoS₂-Au-Ag-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) has higher sensitivity (405.24 µA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²), wider linear detection range (0.05–20 mM) and satisfactory repeatability and stability. Moreover, the prepared sensor was able to detect the H₂O₂ discharge from living tumor cells. Therefore, this study offers a platform for the early diagnosis of cancer and other applications in the fields of biology and biomedicine.