Detection of amoxicillin by a lead ferrite-based electrochemical sensor

Abstract

Objective: the proposed study aims to develop an electrochemical sensor for quantifying the amoxicillin (AMX) antibiotic using a lead ferrite nanoparticle-modified glassy carbon electrode (PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs/GCE). Methods: the PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs were synthesized by a sol–gel method. The synthesized PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs were characterized by spectroscopic techniques and employed to develop an electrochemical sensor (PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs/GCE). The PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs/GCE-based electrochemical characterization was accomplished by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Results: the characterization of PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs confirmed their hexagonal phase with a rough morphology. The electrochemical characterization revealed the diffusion behaviour of PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs/GCE. PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs/GCE was applied for electrochemical detection of AMX in a dynamic range of 0.005 to 215 μM (R² = 0.99) with a detection limit of 1.64 nM. The sensor was successfully applied to the analysis of biological and industrial/tap water samples, with recovery rates of 95.1 to 98.3%. Conclusion: the excellent performance of the developed electrochemical method confirms that it can be successfully applied for the routine analysis of AMX in different sample matrices.