A cutting-edge electrochemical sensing platform for the simultaneous determination of the residues of antimicrobial drugs, rifampicin and norfloxacin, in water samples.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The widespread use and abuse of antibiotics has resulted in the pollution of water sources with antibiotic residues, posing a threat to human health, the environment, and the economy. Therefore, a highly sensitive and selective method is required for their detection in water samples. Herein, advanced ultrasensitive electrochemical sensor platform was developed by integrating gold-silver alloy nanocoral clusters (Au-Ag-ANCCs) with functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube-carbon paste electrode (f-MWCNT-CPE) and choline chloride (ChCl) nanocomposites for simultaneously determining the residues of antimicrobial drugs, rifampicin (RAMP) and norfloxacin (NFX), in water samples. RESULTS: The developed sensor (Au-Ag-ANCCs/f-MWCNTs-CPE/ChCl) was extensively characterized using several analytical (UV-Vis, FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and EDX) and electrochemical (EIS, CV, and SWV) techniques. It exhibited outstanding performance in a wide linear range, from 14 pM to 115 µM for RAMP, and from 0.9 nM to 200 µM for NFX, with a limit of detection (LOD, 3σ/m, S/N = 3, n = 5) and a limit of quantification (LOQ, 10σ/m, S/N = 3, n = 5) values of 2.7 pM and 8.85 pM for RAMP, and 0.14 nM and 0.47 nM for NFX, respectively. The sensor also exhibited exceptional reproducibility, stability, and resistance to interference. SIGNIFICANCE: The developed sensor was effectively utilized to determine RAMP and NFX residues in hospital wastewater, river, and tap water samples, yielding recoveries within the range of 96.8-103 % and relative standard deviations below 5 %. Generally, the proposed sensor demonstrated remarkable performance in detecting the target analytes, making it an ideal tool and the first of its kind for addressing global antibiotic residue pollutants in water sources.