MXene-based composites as an electrochemical sensor for ultrasensitive determination of ofloxacin

Abstract

Sensitive determination of ofloxacin (OFL) is very essential for human health and environmental protection. Here, a novel composite of gold nanoparticles(nAu)@MXene(Ti₃C₂T_x)/poly-p-aminobenzene sulfonic acid (PABSA) was fabricated on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and used to sensitively determine OFL. The results of experiments showed that the obtained nAu@Ti₃C₂T_x/PABSA/GCE electrode could be used as an electrochemical sensor to directly detect ofloxacin (OFL) by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Under the optimal conditions, the proposed electrode displayed a broader linear range and a lower detection limit (LOD) for OFL determination when it was compared to those similar sensors. The linear range was from 5.0 × 10^-8 to 5.0 × 10^-4 mol/L and the LOD was 3.7 × 10^-8 mol/L (S/N = 3). The nAu@Ti₃C₂T_x/PABSA/GCE electrode also showed good selectivity, repeatability, and reproducibility. Finally, the proposed electrode was used to detect OFL in commercial samples by the standard addition method. The obtained recovery was from 97.3% and 105.7% showing its potential applications in actual sample analysis.

Keywords: Gold nanoparticles; MXene; Ofloxacin; Poly-p-aminobenzene sulfonic acid (PABSA).