Synergistic incorporation of Ag into nickel hydroxide nanostructure to enhance the electroctrocatalytic determination of nitrofurantoin

Abstract

In this work the chemical precipitation method was applied for synthesizing Ag/Ni(OH)2 nanocomposites. Then, this nanocomposite was employed as an electrode modifier to achieve selective and sensitive determination of nitrofurantoin using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique. By preparing the suspension, a synthesized sample was utilized for modification of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface. The structure and morphological details of Ag/Ni(OH)2 nanocomposites were assessed with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transforms infrared (FT-IR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and element map techniques. The linear range of concentration was 0.11–13 µM and 13–212 µM and the obtained limit detection (LOD) was 0.079 µM. High sensitivity and long-term stability, suitable linear range, appropriate repeatability, low detection limit, an easy synthesis method, low cost, and short analysis time can be considered as the main advantages of this method. Finally, this sensor was successfully used to determine nitrofurantoin in commercial pharmaceutical tablets and serum blood samples.