Fabrication of highly sensitive anticancer drug sensor based on heterostructured ZnO-Co3O4 capped on carbon nitride nanomaterials

Abstract

Flutamide (FLT) is a nonsteroidal and antiandrogen drug with an explicit anti-androgenic behavior. Due to this reason, they are employed to treat prostate cancer. Also, they are utilized to cure superfluous androgen echelons. In recent days, zeolitic-imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have grasped more consideration in the synthesis and preparation of MOFs based nanocomposite. Similarly, electrochemical detection of anti-cancer drugs are much needed. Herein, we report a novel preparation of zinc oxide-cobalt oxide capped on carbon nitride nanocomposite using a hydrothermal assisted sonochemical synthesis for detecting anti-cancer drug flutamide (FLT). The as-prepared ZnO-Co3O4@C3N4 NC was physically characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. Then, an as-prepared sample was electrochemically analyzed to detect anti-cancer drug FLT. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was studied, and the ZnO-Co3O4@C3N4 NC modified electrode has displayed a lower Rct value. ZnO-Co3O4@C3N4 NC modified electrode shows a respectable linear range (0.01–98.6 µM) with a low detection limit (0.00373 µM) and good sensitivity (5.331 μA.μM−1.cm−2) towards FLT detection by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique. Similarly, the ZnO-Co3O4@C3N4 NC sensor exhibits good selectivity, repeatability, and reproducibility towards FLT. Also, for real sample analysis, biological samples like urine and blood serum were investigated, and the results show reasonable practicability.