Azithromycin electrochemical detection using a VO2 thin film

Abstract

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) films were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal treatment and used as a sensing material for the detection of azithromycin (AZI) antibiotics. The VO2 thin film was characterized by electrochemical studies at different scan rates, pH values, and AZI concentrations. The roughness factor results demonstrated that the electrode surface has a large active surface area per unit and elevated active sites influenced by the high porosity of the sensing material on the electrode. The VO2 thin film was investigated as a sensing material in the pH range of 5–8 and presented sensitivities of 61.5 and 60.0 mV pH–1 for cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square-wave voltammetry (SWV) studies, respectively, demonstrating high sensitivity and stability for AZI determination. Under different concentrations of AZI (from 1.0 to 80 μmol L−1), the LOD and LOQ values were 0.02 and 0.06 µmol L–1, respectively, for CV and 0.025 and 0.084 µmol L–1, respectively, for SWV. The excellent sensitivity and facile operation of this sensor give it the potential to serve as an alternative method for the analysis of pharmaceutical products and aquatic environments.