Nano assembly of NiFe spheres anchored on f-MWCNT for electrocatalytic reduction and sensing of nitrofurantoin in biological samples

The current study reports a facile simple, low-cost electrochemical sensor in the detection of nitrofurantoin (NFT) by using NiFe/f-MWCNT hybrid composite as a promising electrocatalyst. NFT is an antibiotic drug that is extensively using in pharmaceuticals and also in animal food production which causes a severe threat for both human and animal environments. Extending the residues of NFT are left into rivers, soils, lakes, and groundwaters either found or discharged leading health issues. To this NiFe/f-MWCNT composite was synthesized using a hydrothermal mechanism and then ultrasonicated to form a hybrid composite for catalytic evaluation and electrochemical detection of NFT for the very first time. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of NiFe nanospheres conjugated on f-MWCNT are scrutinized using various analytical and spectroscopical techniques. Resulting transmission electron microscopy (TEM) displays a chain like NiFe nanospheres anchored on f-MWCNT with a well-defined spherical shape, without any comprehensive agglomeration. The NiFe/f-MWCNT screen printed carbon paste electrode (SPCE) displayed an excellent electrocatalytic activity for NFT with a LOD of 0.03 µM and a sensitivity of 11.45 µA µM(−1) cm(−2). establishing a new selectivity and with the existence of co-interfering compounds. To enhance the practical abilities analysis were performed in Human serum and urine samples which resulted in satisfactory recoveries with high precision and linear accuracy illustrated in Scheme 1.