Development of ciprofloxacin sensor using iron-doped graphitic carbon nitride as transducer matrix: Analysis of ciprofloxacin in blood samples

Abstract

In the present work, we have synthesized an iron-decorated graphitic carbon nitride (Fe@g-C3N4) composite and employed it for electrochemical sensing of ciprofloxacin (CFX). The physicochemical characteristics of the Fe@g-C3N4 composite were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX) spectroscopy methods. Further, the pencil graphite electrode (PGE) was modified with Fe@g-C3N4 composite to get PGE/Fe@g-C3N4 electrode and characterized the resultant electrode by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was employed to determine the effect of concentration and interferents. The modified PGE/Fe@g-C3N4 electrode demonstrated the exceptional electrochemical performance for CFX identification and quantification with a LOD of 5.4 nM, a wide linear range of 0.001-1.0 µM, and high sensitivity of 0.0018 µA mM-1 cm-2. Besides, Fe@g-C3N4 modified PGE showed remarkable recovery results in qualitative analysis of CFX in human blood specimens. This research advocates that the Fe@g-C3N4 composite acts as an excellent transducer material in the electrochemical sensing of CFX in blood and standard samples. Further, the proposed strategy deduces that the PGE/Fe@g-C3N4 sensor can be a prospective candidate for the dynamic determination of CFX in blood serum and possibly ratified as an exceptional drug sensor for therapeutic purposes.