An ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF6) based carbon ionogel electrode (CIE) was fabricated for the sensitive voltammetric sensing of hydroquinone (HQ) in this paper. Due to the specific characteristics of the prepared working electrode. HQ exhibited an enhanced electrochemical response on CIE with a pair of well-defined redox peaks appeared in pH 2.5 phosphate buffer solution. The electrochemical behaviors of HQ on CIE were investigated by different electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry with the electrochemical parameters calculated. Under the optimal conditions the oxidation peak currents exhibited good linear relationship with the HQ concentration in the range from 0.13 to 100.0 mu mol L-1 with the detection limit of 0.07 mu mol L-1 (3 sigma). The CIE showed separated electrochemical response to HQ and catechol in the mixture solution. The proposed method was successfully applied to HQ detection in artificial wastewater with the recovery in the range from 98.9% to 102.0%. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.