Facile synthesis of Co(ii)-doped cobalt oxide nanostructures: their application in the sensitive determination of the prophylactic drug furazolidone

Abstract

In this report, cobalt(II)-doped cobalt oxide (Co–Co₂O₄) rose-like nanostructures were synthesized via a facile one-step ultrasonication method. The as-prepared nano Co–Co₂O₄ was then utilized for the sensitive quantification of the prophylactic drug furazolidone (FUZ). Various physicochemical methods, including X-ray powder diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, were used to confirm the successful formation of the Co–Co₂O₄ nanostructures. The superior active surface area and larger pores of Co–Co₂O₄ enhance the electrocatalytic activity towards FUZ detection. The electrochemical performance of Co–Co₂O₄ towards FUZ was explored using the voltammetry method, with the obtained results suggesting that the proposed Co–Co₂O₄ sensor exhibits excellent catalytic activity towards FUZ. Under the optimized conditions, the sensor exhibits two wide linear ranges (0.05–285 μM; 285–1122.15 μM) with a low limit of detection (8 nM) and high sensitivity (2.349 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻²). Besides this, the proposed sensor exhibits high stability, reproducibility, and repeatability. Moreover, anti-interference experiments were carried out to explore the precise detection of FUZ in the presence of similar compounds.