Electrochemical detection of acetaminophen on the functionalized MWCNTs modified electrode using layer-by-layer technique

Design of a facile, green and efficient graphene oxide-based electrochemical sensor for analysis of acetaminophen drug

In this study an efficient and environment friendly electrochemical sensor has been designed for the analysis of acetaminophen (APAP) drug. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetric techniques were used to demonstrate the fabricated erGO/GCE sensor performance. Voltammetric assessment of acetaminophen drug was done using bare GC electrode, drop-casted GO/GC electrode and erGO/GCE electrochemical sensor. Proposed sensor was precisely validated for APAP detection by differential pulse voltammetric technique. Subsequently LOD, LOQ, sensitivity and linearity were determined and found to be 7.23 nM, 21.909 nM, 20.14 μA nM^-1 cm^-2 and 0.0219-2.30 μM, respectively. The diffusion coefficient of APAP was determined by chronoamperometry, and it was found to be 2.24 × 10^-5 cm².s^-1. The synthetic and analytical steps were assessed as per the Green Chemistry's 12 Principles giving a 66 score (acceptable) and 93 score (excellent) for the said steps, respectively.

Graphical abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11696-022-02628-9.

Metal-Organic Framework-Based Composites for the Detection and Monitoring of Pharmaceutical Compounds in Biological and Environmental Matrices

The production of synthetic drugs is considered a huge milestone in the healthcare sector, transforming the overall health, aging, and lifestyle of the general population. Due to the surge in production and consumption, pharmaceutical drugs have emerged as potential environmental pollutants that are toxic with low biodegradability. Traditional chromatographic techniques in practice are time-consuming and expensive, despite good precision. Alternatively, electroanalytical techniques are recently identified to be selective, rapid, sensitive, and easier for drug detection. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are known for their intrinsic porous nature, high surface area, and diversity in structural design that provides credible drug-sensing capacities. Long-term reusability and maintaining chemo-structural integrity are major challenges that are countered by ligand-metal combinations, optimization of synthetic conditions, functionalization, and direct MOFs growth over the electrode surface. Moreover, chemical instability and lower conductivities limited the mass commercialization of MOF-based materials in the fields of biosensing, imaging, drug release, therapeutics, and clinical diagnostics. This review is dedicated to analyzing the various combinations of MOFs used for electrochemical detection of pharmaceutical drugs, comprising antibiotics, analgesics, anticancer, antituberculosis, and veterinary drugs. Furthermore, the relationship between the composition, morphology and structural properties of MOFs with their detection capabilities for each drug species is elucidated.

Paracetamol Sensing with a Pencil Lead Electrode Modified with Carbon Nanotubes and Polyvinylpyrrolidone

The determination of paracetamol is a common need in pharmaceutical and environmental samples for which a low-cost, rapid, and accurate sensor would be highly desirable. We develop a novel pencil graphite lead electrode (PGE) modified with single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer (PVP/SWCNT/PGE) for the voltammetric quantification of paracetamol. The sensor shows remarkable analytical performance in the determination of paracetamol at neutral pH, with a limit of detection of 0.38 μM and a linear response from 1 to 500 μM using square-wave voltammetry (SWV), which are well suited to the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations. The introduction of the polymer PVP can cause dramatic changes in the sensing performance of the electrode, depending on its specific architecture. These effects were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the co-localization and dispersion of PVP throughout the carbon nanotubes on the electrode are key to its superior electrochemical performance, facilitating the electrical contact between the nanotubes and with the electrode surface. The application of this sensor to commercial syrup and tablet preparations is demonstrated with excellent results.

Simultaneous detection of paracetamol and 4-aminophenol at nanomolar levels using biocompatible cysteine-substituted phthalocyanine

Extension of the conjugation and biocompatibility of the phthalocyanine molecule is expected to improve its stability and interaction with bio-molecules without any fouling.

Modular, Lightweight, Wireless Potentiostat-on-a-Disc for Electrochemical Detection in Centrifugal Microfluidics

Interfacing electrochemical sensors in a lab-on-a-disc (LoD) system with a potentiostat is often tedious and challenging. We here present the first multichannel, modular, lightweight, and wirelessly powered, custom-built potentiostat-on-a-disc (PoD) for centrifugal microfluidic applications. The developed potentiostat is in the form factor of a typical digital video disc (DVD) and weighs only 127 g. The design of the potentiostat facilitates easy and robust interfacing with the electrodes in the LoD system, while enabling real-time electrochemical detection during rotation. The device can perform different electroanalytical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry, square wave voltammetry, and amperometry while being controlled by custom-made software. Measurements were conducted with and without rotation using both in-house fabricated and commercial electrodes. The performance of the PoD was in good agreement with the results obtained using a commercial potentiostat with a measured current resolution of 200 pA. As a proof of concept, we performed a real-time release study of an electrochemically active compound from microdevices used for drug delivery.

Tailoring MWCNTs and β-Cyclodextrin for Sensitive Detection of Acetaminophen and Estrogen

Monitoring of trace amount of acetaminophen and estrogen in drinking water is of great importance because of their potential links to gastrointestinal diseases and breast and prostate cancers. The sensitive and accurate detection of acetaminophen and estrogen requires the development of advanced sensing materials that possess appropriate number of analyte-capturing sites and suitable signal conduction path. This can be achieved by implementing appropriate chemical attachment of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and β-cyclodextrin (βCD). Here, we report a systematic investigation of four types of modified MWCNT-βCD: (1) physical mixing, (2) "click reaction", (3) thionyl chloride esterification, and (4) Steglich esterification. The Steglich esterification is a one-step approach with shorter reaction time, lower reaction temperature, and eliminates handling of air/moisture-sensitive reagents. MWCNT-βCD prepared by Steglich esterification possessed moderate βCD loading (5-10 wt %), large effective surface area, and fast electron transfer. The host-guest interaction of βCD and redox properties of MWCNT enabled sensitive detection of acetaminophen and 17β-estradiol (E2 is a primary female sex hormone) in the range of 0.005-20 and 0.01-15 μM, with low detection limits of 3.3 and 2.5 nM, respectively. We demonstrated accurate detection results of pharmaceutical compositions in water and urine samples. These results indicate that Steglich esterification method may be applied in fabricating pharmaceutical contaminants sensors for health and environmental applications.

Point-of-Care Determination of Acetaminophen Levels with Multi-Hydrogen Bond Manipulated Single-Molecule Recognition (eMuHSiR)

This work aims to face the challenge of monitoring small molecule drugs accurately and rapidly for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis in current clinical settings. Overdose of acetaminophen (AP), a commonly used over the counter (OTC) analgesic drug, has been determined to be a major cause of acute liver failure in the US and the UK. However, there is no rapid and accurate detection method available for this drug in the emergency room. The present study examined an AP sensing strategy that relies on a previously unexplored strong interaction between AP and the arginine (Arg) molecule. It was found that as many as 4 hydrogen bonds can be formed between one Arg molecule and one AP molecule. By taking advantages of this structural selectivity and high tenability of hydrogen bonds, Arg, immobilized on a graphene surface via electrostatic interactions, was utilized to structurally capture AP. Interestingly, bonded AP still remained the perfect electrochemical activities. The extent of Arg-AP bonds was quantified using a newly designed electrochemical (EC) sensor. To verify the feasibility of this novel assay, based on multihydrogen bond manipulated single-molecule recognition (eMuHSiR), both pharmaceutical and serum sample were examined. In commercial tablet measurement, no significant difference was seen between the results of eMuHSiR and other standard methods. For measuring AP concentration in the mice blood, the substances in serum, such as sugars and fats, would not bring any interference to the eMuHSiR in a wide concentration range. This eMuHSiR method opens the way for future development of small molecule detection for the POC testing.

An ultra-sensitive electrochemical sensor for the detection of acetaminophen in the presence of etilefrine using bimetallic Pd–Ag/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites

In this study we report a one-step procedure for the fabrication of Pd–Ag bimetallic nanoparticles on the surface of a graphene oxide (rGO) support.

Improving Single-Carbon-Nanotube-Electrode Contacts Using Molecular Electronics

We report the use of an electroactive species, acetaminophen, to modify the electrical connection between a carbon nanotube (CNT) and an electrode. By applying a potential across two electrodes, some of the CNTs in solution occasionally contact the electrified interface and bridge between two electrodes. By observing a single CNT contact between two microbands of an interdigitated Au electrode in the presence and absence of acetaminophen, the role of the molecular species at the electronic junction is revealed. As compared with the pure CNT, the current magnitude of the acetaminophen-modified CNTs significantly increases with the applied potentials, indicating that the molecule species improves the junction properties probably via redox shuttling.

Magnetism-assisted modification of screen printed electrode with magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes for electrochemical determination of dopamine

A simple and sensitive dopamine (DA) electrochemical sensor was fabricated based on magnetism-assisted modification of screen printed electrode (SPE) with magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (mMWCNTs). The mMWCNTs modified electrodes (mMWCNTs/SPE) combines the advantages of SPE and the simultaneous contribution of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and MWCNTs, increasing sensitivity and selectivity of DA detection. The linearity was found between 5μM to 180μM, with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.43μM. In the mean time, this modified electrode exhibited excellent selectivity for DA detection with almost no interference from ascorbic acid (AA), which co-exists with DA in many bio-samples and causes common interference. Finally, this novel electrode has been applied to determine DA concentration in spiked human blood serum and satisfactory recovery was found in the range of 97.43-102.94% with the RSDs of less than 2.27%. This work developed a sensitive and reliable electrochemical analytical method based on mMWCNTs/SPE, which exhibits great potential for diagnosis of the diseases related to DA.

An optical microplate biosensor for the detection of methyl parathion pesticide using a biohybrid of Sphingomonas sp. cells-silica nanoparticles

The previously developed Sphingomonas sp. based optical microplate biosensor for methyl parathion (MP) was good as it detected multiple samples but had poor stability and low sensitivity. The present study aims to overcome these limitations. Silica nanoparticles (Si NP) were thus functionalized with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and the functionalized silica nanoparticles (^fSi NP) were then integrated with Sphingomonas sp. cells. The process was optimized for hydrolysis of MP into p-nitrophenol (PNP). Integration of ^fSi NP with cells was confirmed by FT-IR analysis. Biohybrid of Sphingomonas sp.-^fSi NP was immobilized on the wells of microplate and associated directly with the optical transducer of microplate reader. Immobilized biohybrid of Sphingomonas sp.-^fSi NP was characterized using SEM. A detection range of 0.1-1ppm MP was achieved from the linear range of calibration plot. After integration with ^fSi NP the storage stability of biohybrid was enhanced ten times from 18 to 180 days. This study proves that after interaction of cells with ^fSi NP, improved the sensitivity and stability of the biosensor. Spiked samples were also analyzed and correlated using this biohybrid based biosensor.

Simultaneous determination of epinephrene and paracetamol at copper-cobalt oxide spinel decorated nanocrystalline zeolite modified electrodes

In this study, CuCo2O4 and CuCo2O4 decorated nanocrystalline ZSM-5 materials were prepared. For comparative study, a series of MCo2O4 spinels were also prepared. Materials were characterized by the complementary combination of X-ray diffraction, N2-adsorption, UV-visible, and electron microscopic techniques. A simple and rapid method for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and epinephrine at MCo2O4 spinels modified electrodes is presented in this manuscript. Among the materials investigated in this study, CuCo2O4 decorated nanocrystalline ZSM-5 exhibited the highest electrocatalytic activity with excellent stability, sensitivity, and selectivity. Analytical performance of the sensor was demonstrated in the determination of epinephrine and paracetamol in the commercial pharmaceutical samples.

Electrochemical sensors based on carbon nanomaterials for acetaminophen detection: A review

This study describes the advancements made over the last five years in the development of electrochemical sensors and biosensors for acetaminophen detection. This study reviews the different configurations based on unmodified and chemically modified carbon nanotubes and graphene. The influence of various modifiers on the two types of materials is presented along with their role on the enhancement of the selectivity and sensitivity of (bio)sensors. The review is focused on a comparative description of the applications of carbon-based nanomaterials towards acetaminophen detection and presents the results in a critical manner.

Development of glassy carbon electrode modified with ruthenium red-multiwalled carbon nanotubes for simultaneous determination of epinephrine and acetaminophen

A glassy carbon electrode modified with ruthenium red and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube has been developed. The electrochemical response characteristics of the modified electrode toward epinephrine (EP) and acetaminophen (AC) was investigated by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Linear calibration plots were obtained over the range of 0.3 - 333.3 μM for both EP and AC with sensitivities of 0.221 and 0.174 μA μM(-1) for EP and AC, respectively. The detection limits for EP and AC were 0.04 and 0.06 μM, respectively. The diffusion coefficients for the oxidation of EP and AC at the modified electrode were calculated as 2.74 ± 0.05 × 10(-5) and 1.75 ± 0.07 × 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1), respectively. The practical analytical utilities of the modified electrode were demonstrated by the determination of EP and AC in human urine and serum as well as AC tablet samples.

MWCNT–CTAB modified glassy carbon electrode as a sensor for the determination of paracetamol

An electrochemical sensor for the sensitive detection of paracetamol (PCM) was developed by constructing a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with multiwalled carbon nanotube–cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (MWCNT–CTAB).

Synthesis of NiCo2O4/Nano-ZSM-5 nanocomposite material with enhanced electrochemical properties for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid and tryptophan

The high electrocatalytic activity of the sensor can be attributed to the highly dispersed NiCo₂O₄ on Nano-ZSM-5 matrix.

Immobilization of lipase on cotton cloth using the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique

Lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus was assembled into multiple layers on polyethylenimine treated cotton flannel cloth, utilising the enzymes property of forming bimolecular aggregates via layer-by-layer (LBL) immobilization technique. An increase in lipase activity with increasing enzyme layers confirmed lipase aggregation. A study to compare the activity of enzyme bound by classical LBL technique, containing alternate layers of polyethylenimine and lipase and the modified approach indicated above, showed that more enzyme was bound to cloth in the modified approach. A total of 13 U/cm(2) of enzyme were bound to cloth till the fifth layer whereas only 10.2 U/cm(2) were bound till the fifth bilayer in the classical approach. The successful assembly of lipase molecules has shown that this modified technique is a promising approach to immobilize enzymes that aggregate through hydrophobic interactions as nano-films on cloth.