A sensitive electrochemical sensor based on graphene quantum dots/hierarchical flower-like gold nanostructures for determination of cytostatic drug flutamide

Abstract

Using an electrochemical sensor with high sensing capability and manufacturing simplicity, flutamide (FLU) can be quantitatively measured. A glassy carbon electrode is modified with graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and hierarchical flower-like gold nanostructures (HFGNs). Combining GQDs and HFGNs enhanced the electrode surface and electron transfer rate, improving the signal's intensity and sensitivity. Nanostructure characterization, electrochemical characterization, and detection studies indicated the high performance of the platform in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility, and stability. With these improvements, linear correlations were achieved between 0.01 and 400 µM, with a detection limit of 6.2 nM (based on 3Ssb/m). Pharmaceuticals and complex biological samples along with interfering agents have been successfully analyzed with this platform.