A PEDOT/3D-N-Ti3C2Tx nanoflower hydrophilic regulation molecular imprinting electrochemical sensor for ultrasensitive detection of levofloxacin

Abstract

Sensors for ultrasensitive detection of small molecule compounds in complex water systems face challenges, and selecting sensors with high sensitivity requires more complex preprocessing. This study proposes a novel poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/3-dimensional nitrogen doped titanium carbide/carboxymethyl chitosan/molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor (PEDOT/3D-N-Ti₃C₂T_x@CMCS/MIP), which aims to enhance LEV detection and effectively address its environmental pollution issues. Preparation of 3D nano-worm PEDOT through electropolymerization technology and study of its partial mechanism to explain the impact of PEDOT on sensor performance are described. 3D-N-Ti₃C₂T_x nanoflowers were prepared by a hydrothermal reaction, effectively solving the stacking problem in Ti₃C₂T_x, significantly increasing the specific surface area and pore size, and improving the detection performance by constructing defects. In addition, research has found that the nitrogen content is as high as 4.69%, which not only exists on the surface but is also embedded in the carbon layer, enhancing the inherent properties of Ti₃C₂T_x, simultaneously utilizing the hydrophilic interface regulation of carboxymethyl chitosan. We developed a water-based molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor. This sensor has fast response time and excellent LEV detection performance, which can efficiently and reliably detect LEV in water-based environments such as lake water and milk, as well as food samples.