Boosting the Electrochemical Detection Response Toward Hydroxychloroquine via Tungsten Trioxide Nanorods/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanofiber Nanocomposite

Abstract

The overusage of hydroxychloroquine (HQ) amidst the outbreak of coronavirus disease has contributed to increased fatalities concerning HQ poisoning. Hence, there is an utmost requirement to develop accurate and onsite methodologies for monitoring HQ in biological samples and water bodies. Metal-oxide-decorated carbon nanomaterials present excellent electrocatalytic properties, contributing to improved sensor responses. This study introduces tungsten trioxide nanorods/nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber (WO3/N-CNF) nanocomposite, capable of detecting HQ electrochemically. The conjunction of WO3 with N-CNF offers accelerated charge transfer kinetics with an abundance of surface-active sites that benefit the sensing mechanism. Furthermore, synergistic effects arising from the nanocomposite augment the conductivity and promote faster ion diffusion. The WO3/N-CNF-based electrochemical sensor deliver high performance in the working concentration range of 0.007–480 μM and provides a detection limit of 2.0 nM for HQ. The fabricated sensor has excellent operational stability and reproducibility and is also able to show a superb selectivity toward HQ in comparison to various interfering compounds. This indicates that the designed WO3/N-CNF nanocomposite can be used as a potential electrocatalyst for the real-time monitoring of HQ.