Screen-printed Sensors Research Articles

Point-of-care electrochemical sensor for selective determination of date rape drug “ketamine” based on core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer

Misuse of illicit drugs is a serious problem that became the primary concern for many authorities worldwide. Point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools can provide accurate and fast screening information that helps to detect illicit drugs in a short time. A portable, disposable and reproducible core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) screen-printed sensor was synthesized as a POC analyzer for the assay of the date rape drug “ketamine hydrochloride” in different matrices. Firstly, the screen-printed electrode substrate was modified electrochemically with polyaniline (PANI) as an ion-to-electron transducer interlayer to improve the potential signal stability. Secondly, core-shell MIP was prepared, the core consisting of silica nanoparticles prepared by Stober's method, while the MIP shell was synthesized onto silica nanoparticles surface by copolymerizing methacrylic acid functional monomer and the crossing agent; ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of ketamine as a template molecule. Finally, the core-shell MIP was incorporated into the PVC membrane as an ionophore and drop-casted over PANI modified screen-printed carbon electrode. The imprinting process and the morphology of MIP were examined using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic methods. The sensor exhibited a short response time within 3–5 s in a pH range (2.0–5.0). The potential profile indicated a linear relationship in a dynamic concentration range of 1.0 × 10−6 M to 1.0 × 10−2 M with a slope of 54.7 mV/decade. The sensor was employed to determine ketamine in biological matrices and beverages.

Rapid Measurement of Lactate in the Exhaled Breath Condensate: Biosensor Optimization and In-Human Proof of Concept.

Lactate concentration is of increasing interest as a diagnostic for sepsis, septic shock, and trauma. Compared with the traditional blood sample media, the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has the advantages of non-invasiveness and higher user acceptance. An amperometric biosensor was developed and its application in EBC lactate detection was investigated in this paper. The sensor was modified with PEDOT:PSS-PB, and two different lactate oxidases (LODs). A rotating disk electrode and Koutecky-Levich analysis were applied for the kinetics analysis and gel optimization. The optimized gel formulation was then tested on disposable screen-printed sensors. The disposable sensors exhibited good performance and presented a high stability for both LOD modifications. Finally, human EBC analysis was conducted from a healthy subject at rest and after 30 min of intense aerobic cycling exercise. The sensor coulometric measurements showed good agreement with fluorometric and triple quadrupole liquid chromatography mass spectrometry reference methods. The EBC lactate concentration increased from 22.5 μM (at rest) to 28.0 μM (after 30 min of cycling) and dropped back to 5.3 μM after 60 min of rest.

Flexible and printable integrated biosensors for monitoring sweat and skin condition

Wearable and flexible sensors are playing increasing roles in health monitoring (like physiological electrical signals and components of biofluids). Therein, sweat as a carrier of informative biomarkers would attract great attention for health status identification. However, most wearable biosensors have a short lifetime with complex fabrication processes and expensive costs, which would largely limit the application scene to some extent. Here, we developed a state-of-the-art flexible and integrated sensor patch with screen-printing technology for in-situ and real-time monitoring of electrolyte balance and skin state. The screen-printed sensor patch was easily fabricated, highly reproducible, disposable and relatively stable, which was extremely for sweat sensors with low cost. The state of art sensors on the patch of Na+, pH, skin impedance and temperature all showed excellent performance with high linearity (coefficient of determinations (R2) are 0.998, 0.994, 0.998 and 0.997, respectively). Besides, the detection ranges of Na+ and pH sensors are wide enough for sweat analysis of 10–100 mM and 2–8, respectively. The proposed device provides a new strategy for real-time sweat analysis, preventing dehydration and skin state monitoring during exercise.

Screen-printed electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring of heavy metal ion detection

Abstract Heavy metal ions (HMIs) are known to cause severe damages to the human body and ecological environment. And considering the current alarming situation, it is crucial to develop a rapid, sensitive, robust, economical and convenient method for their detection. Screen printed electrochemical technology contributes greatly to this task, and has achieved global attention. It enabled the mass transmission rate and demonstrated ability to control the chemical nature of the measure media. Besides, the technique offers advantages like linear output, quick response, high selectivity, sensitivity and stability along with low power requirement and high signal-to-noise ratio. Recently, the performance of SPEs has been improved employing the most effective and promising method of the incorporation of different nanomaterials into SPEs. Especially, in electrochemical sensors, the incorporation of nanomaterials has gained extensive attention for HMIs detection as it exhibits outstanding features like broad electrochemical window, large surface area, high conductivity, selectivity and stability. The present review focuses on the recent progress in the field of screen-printed electrochemical sensors for HMIs detection using nanomaterials. Different fabrication methods of SPEs and their utilization for real sample analysis of HMIs using various nanomaterials have been extensively discussed. Additionally, advancement made in this field is also discussed taking help of the recent literature.

Screen-printed sensors for efficient potentiometric analysis of tolperisone hydrochloride in presence of its co-formulated drugs

Researchers seeking for green chemistry to help safeguard and boost the economy and the environment by discovering unique ways to decrease waste and find substitutes for dangerous chemicals. In this study, a green potentiometric ion-selective electrode (ISE) was developed for measurement of tolperisone HCl (TOLP) in bulk and Pharmaceutical dosage forms in presence of diclofenac sodium and paracetamol as co-formulated drugs. This paper presents the manufacture and characterization of a disposable potentiometric ion-selective strip with an enhanced detection limit for (TOLP) measurement in its tablet dosage form either alone or in presence of the co-formulated drugs. Numerous ion pairs (IPs), such as TOLP-tetraphenylborate (TOLP-TPB), TOLP-phosphotungstic acid (TOLP-PTA), and TOLP-ammonium Reinecke (TOLP- RKT) are tested in presence of different plasticizers. The optimal potentiometric response with a near Nernstian slope of 55.949 mV/decade was achieved within a linear concentration range of 5 times 10–5 − 1 times 10–2 M using (PTA) and ortho nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE) as a plasticizer. The effect of the nanoparticles on the membrane stability was studied using the graphene nanoplatelets which have an effective role in the enhancement of some constructed sensors stability. Finally, the developed technique is validated for the estimation of TOLP with high accuracy and precision.Graphical

Yogurt classification using an electronic tongue system and machine learning techniques

• The development of a pattern recognition methodology for the classification of yogurts. • The use of a dataset of yogurts from the region of Boyacá-Colombia. • The development of an electronic tongue system for the classification of yogurt Electronic tongue sensor arrays allow the analysis of liquid substances and provide information for classification tasks to artificially emulate a taste recognition system. These kinds of devices are needed for the alimentary industry because they ensure their products’ quality; however, they are still in the development phase because of the components required for their robustness. This paper presents an electronic tongue system for yogurt classification to contribute to developing automatic systems for this industry. The developed system uses a sensor array with Screen-Printed Electrode sensors, a potentiostat, and a multiplexer to handle eight different sensors. A pattern recognition methodology for the processing of multi-step amperometry signals is defined. It comprises the following stages: First, a data unfolding process to build a two-dimensional matrix with the information from the sensors is applied. Next, raw data is normalized using the mean-centered group scaling method. Then, a dimensionality reduction stage is applied. Two methods are evaluated, the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding ( t -SNE) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Subsequently, a supervised machine learning classification algorithm is used. Five methods were evaluated to determine the best classifier: LDA, classification trees(C4.5), naive Bayes, k -NN, and SVM. A dataset of 151 samples of 8 different yogurts is used for the methodology validation. This validation is executed through a Leave One Out Cross Validation (LOOCV) method. Final classification accuracy of 100% was obtained When PCA and LDA or t -SNE and k -NN were used; however, from the computational point of view, a shorter execution time was evidenced for PCA and LDA, showing the convenience in its use in the methodology.

Detection of chlorinated organic pollutants with an integrated screen-printed electrochemical sensor based on a carbon nanocomposite derived from bread waste

Halogenated organic compounds are ubiquitous in water bodies due to anthropogenic activities and some of them pose a real threat to the aquatic environment and human health. That is the case of artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and haloacetic acid disinfection byproducts such as trichloroacetic acid (TCA), classified as contaminants of emerging concern. This motivates the search for rapid, cost-effective and easy-to-use analytical tools that could be deployed to facilitate the analysis of organohalide pollutants and aid in accurately monitoring water quality. This work explores the rapid detection of sucralose and TCA using a very simple miniaturized sample-to-result integrated electrochemical sensor. The device incorporates a screen-printed three-electrode electrochemical cell (SPE) where the working electrode is made of a nanocomposite of Ag nanoparticles and porous C (Ag/C). The material is prepared from bread waste, in an attempt to add value to one of the largest fractions of food leftovers and thus contribute to the sustainable circular economy. The electrochemical process behind the sensor analytical performance is initially evaluated using free Cl− ions in solution and then, the sensor is used to analyze the mentioned target analytes. A paper disk integrated over the electrode area and loaded with the reagents required for the sample conditioning makes the analysis straightforward. The sensor thus produced can be inserted in a highly compact low-power instrument connected to a mobile phone, making an easy-to-use device suitable for on-site analytical studies.

Beeswax multifunctional composites with thermal-healing capability and recyclability

Natural beeswax reinforced with conductive nanofillers allows solvent-free processing and presents remarkable functional response as piezoresistive and thermoresistive sensors with thermal healing capability. The low melting temperature of the composites, around 60 °C, allows additive manufacturing of conductive patterns with a high electrical conductivity of 50 S/m. Further, the graphene/beeswax composites show suitable deformation and temperature sensing characteristics based on the piezoresistive and thermoresistive sensitivities, around GF≈9 and S≈ 120 %/°C, respectively. Natural beeswax is a food and drug administration approved substance, and all graphene/beeswax composites present no cytotoxic behavior, demonstrating their potential use for biomedical applications.Proofs-of-concept demonstrate the conductive and thermal-healing properties of the screen-printed sensors developed both on paper and Kapton substrates, proving the applicability and multifunctionality of the developed materials. Finally, the multifunctional composites can be recycled and reused without losing their electrical and functional performances.

MIP-202 catalyst-integrated solid-contact potentiometric chloride sensor for versatile multiphasic detection of a sulfur mustard simulant

Existing sensor devices for sulfur mustard (HD) detection are commonly bulky, sluggish in response, or not sensitive enough to detect HD contamination owing to its low aqueous solubility. Herein, we describe the development of a miniaturized catalytic electrochemical sensor, in both portable and wearable configurations, for the real-time, remote/on-site wireless detection of low micromolar levels of the HD simulant, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES). The screen-printed CEES potentiometric sensor relies on coating a new solid-contact chloride ion-selective electrode (Cl-ISE) with a biomimetic zirconium metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF), MIP-202-based reagent layer for catalytic CEES hydrolysis and electrochemical detection of the liberated Cl anion. We describe and characterize the use of the green MIP-202 Zr-MOF towards such CEES hydrolysis, and demonstrate its superior catalytic performance versus the established MOF catalysts UiO-66 and HKUST-1 using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) analysis. The attractive analytical performance of the resulting strip and textile-based sensors has been demonstrated for the detection of CEES contamination in multiphasic samples ranging from aqueous buffered solutions, drinking water to aqueous buffered aerosols.

Electrochemical Methodologies for the Detection of Traditional and Emerging Illicit Drugs

Drug abuse and drug addiction is a multifaceted problem which has for a long time had far-reaching societal and physical consequences. In recent years, these negative effects have been further exacerbated by an increase in the production, trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs. Furthermore, the introduction of potent synthetic analogues and compounds known as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) to the illicit drug market and their rapid proliferation has lead to an unprecedented threat to public health and safety. As such, the necessity has grown for the development of robust screening methodologies for these compounds within forensic and clinical research. Electroanalytical chemistry has quickly become a popular and powerful tool to address such demands. Electrochemical sensors evade many of the pitfalls associated with conventional detection methods, allowing for exceptionally good analytical performance at minimal cost.Within this contribution we present the use of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) as a novel screening methodology for the detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids (SCs), which are the most prevalent group of NPS currently being monitored by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. AB-CHMICA, NE-CHMIMO, BB-22 and 5F-ADB-PINACA were all successfully detected at relevant concentrations using the developed screen-printed electrode ruthenium-based sensor. While in its infancy, these results show the potential of ECL as a screening methodology for SCs and leave much to be explored including its applicability to street and biological samples.Moreover, we aim to highlight the diversity of electrochemical techniques toward illicit drug detection via investigation into the use of wearable electrochemical sensors for the detection of traditional cannabinoids and benzodiazepines.

Recent progress on screen-printed flexible sensors for human health monitoring

The rapid development of advanced manufacturing technology has promoted the prosperity of micro/nano electronic devices, and flexible sensors based on screen printing have attracted much attention to meet the needs of wearable electronic products and human health monitoring in recent years. At the same time, combined with screen printing technology, flexible sensors have also been successfully proved to have very unique advantages and broad prospects in mass production. Here, we reviewed the applications of flexible sensors based on screen printing technology in the field of human health monitoring. Firstly, we introduce the manufacturing process of screen printing and its ink controllability, high resolution printing, and thickness controllability. Then, the different applications of screen-printed flexible sensors in the field of health monitoring are analyzed. In terms of flexible sensors, the specific details in application scenarios are introduced from three types of sensors: mechanical strain sensors, non-strain sensors and sensor arrays. In multiple examples of flexible sensors, the features of screen printing technology for low-cost, large-scale fabrication of flexible sensors are emphasized and highlighted. Finally, the opportunities, challenges and prospects of screen-printed flexible sensors in the field of smart wearable electronics and human health monitoring are summarized, and the feasibility of flexible sensor electronics in building smart wearable microsystems based on screen printing technology is proposed. • Three features of screen printing including the high resolution, controllability of ink and thickness are emphasized. • Screen-printed flexible sensors are comprehensively investigated and categorized to strain sensors, non-strain sensors and sensor arrays. • The key factors of screen-printed flexible sensors in application scenarios for human health monitoring are well analyzed. • The challenges and prospects of screen-printed flexible sensors for smart wearable electronics are summarized.

Detection of breast cancer-related point-mutations using screen-printed and gold-plated electrochemical sensor arrays suitable for point-of-care applications

For anticancer therapy and disease prognosis in breast cancer, three PIK3CA point-mutations (H1047R, E545K, and E542K) play a significant role. To allow for specific and sensitive detection of these point-mutations with a hybridization-based detection concept, the assay conditions were optimized on a microarray technology platform. The resulting fluorescence-based microarray assay enables simultaneous and specific detection of three PIK3CA point-mutations. The optimized protocol was then adapted for use on a screen-printed and gold-plated silver sensor array with twelve working electrodes, one common counter electrode, and one common reference electrode. Chronoamperometric measurements employing an enzyme-amplified electrochemical assay allow for detecting PIK3CA point-mutations with a detection limit of 10 pM for short 24-mer target DNA. The mutant and the wild-type target DNA sequences gave significantly different signals in a broad concentration range of 1 nM – 100 nM, with the best separation found at 10 nM – 20 nM. Comparing the hybridization of short 24-mer and long 80-mer target DNA sequences reveals that the hybridization efficiency is reduced for long target DNA sequences. However, both the 24-mer and the 80-mer target DNA lead to successful detection of point-mutations. Finally, the electrochemical sensor allows for multiplexed detection of the three PIK3CA point-mutations.

Highly Sensitive Determination of Atropine in Pharmaceuticals, Biological Fluids and Beverage on Planar Electrochemical Cell with Working Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode

In the present paper, for the first time, a planar electrochemical cell formed of a novel screen-printed sensor with the working boron-doped diamond electrode (BDDE) was used for the voltammetric determination of alkaloid atropine (ATR). Different BDDE diameters of 1, 2 and 3 mm were used. ATR gives one irreversible oxidation peak at the potential of 1.5 V in the presence of 2 M HClO4. Two irreversible peaks of ATR oxidation at potentials 1.0 V and 1.2 V were obtained using Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 11. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and square-wave voltammetry (SWV) were used to obtain calibration curves for ATR on BDDE. The use of cells with various BDDE diameters enables an expansion of the range of linear concentration. The limit of detection (LOD) reaches the lowest value of 0.08 μМ using DPV on BDDE with the diameter of 3 mm. Using the working electrode with the diameter of 1 mm it is possible to determine 4.1 μМ ATR. ATR can be determined in drugs (without multistage dilution and separation) and biological fluids using planar cells. The method has also been approved to determine ATR at the lethal dose level and below in Cola. One drop of the beverage is enough for this analysis. The developed methods were validated according to the criteria such as linearity, limits of detection and quantification, accuracy, precision, stability, and selectivity. The presented analysis protocols are rapid, inexpensive, portable, and relevant.

Immunoarray Measurements of Parathyroid Hormone-Related Peptides Combined with Other Biomarkers to Diagnose Aggressive Prostate Cancer.

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) is related to bone metastasis and hypercalcemia in prostate and breast cancers and should be an excellent biomarker for aggressive forms of these cancers. Current clinical detection protocols for PTHrP are immunoradiometric assay and radioimmunoassay but are not sensitive enough to detect PTHrPs at early stages. We recently evaluated a prostate cancer biomarker panel, including serum monocyte differentiation antigen (CD-14), ETS-related gene protein, pigment epithelial-derived factor, and insulin-like growth factor-1, with promise for identifying aggressive prostate cancers. This panel predicted the need for patient biopsy better than PSA alone. In the present paper, we report an ultrasensitive microfluidic assay for PTHrPs and evaluate their diagnostic value and the value of including them with our prior biomarker panel to diagnose aggressive forms of prostate cancer. The immunoarray features screen-printed carbon sensor electrodes coated with 5 nm glutathione gold nanoparticles with capture antibodies attached. PTHrPs are bound to a secondary antibody attached to a polyhorseradish peroxidase label and delivered to the sensors to provide high sensitivity when activated by H2O2 and a mediator. We obtained an unprecedented 0.3 fg mL-1 limit of detection for PTHrP bioactive moieties PTHrP 1-173 and PTHrP 1-86. We also report the first study of PTHrPs in a large serum pool to identify aggressive malignancies. In assays of 130 human patient serum samples, PTHrP levels distinguished between aggressive and indolent prostate cancers with 83-91% clinical sensitivity and 78-96% specificity. Logistic regression identified the best predictive model as a combination of PTHrP 1-86 and vascular endothelial growth factor-D. PTHrP 1-173 alone also showed a high ability to differentiate aggressive and indolent cancers.

Potentiometric pH Sensor Based on Flexible Screen-Printable Polyaniline Composite for Textile-Based Microfluidic Applications.

Skin pH can be used for monitoring infections in a healing wound, the onset of dermatitis, and hydration in sports medicine, but many challenges exist in integrating conventional sensing materials into wearable platforms. We present the development of a flexible, textile-based, screen-printed electrode system for biosensing applications, and demonstrate flexible polyaniline (PANI) composite-based potentiometric sensors on a textile substrate for real-time pH measurement. The pH response of the optimized PANI/dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid/screen-printing ink composite is compared to electropolymerized and drop-cast PANI sensors via open circuit potential measurements. High sensitivity was observed for all sensors between pH 3–10, with a composite based on PANI emeraldine base, demonstrating sufficient response time and a linear sensitivity of −27.9 mV/pH. This exceeded prior flexible screen-printed pH sensors in which all parts of the sensor, including the pH sensing material, are screen-printed. Even better sensitivity was observed for a PANI emeraldine salt composite (−42.6 mV/pH), although the response was less linear. Furthermore, the sensor was integrated into a screen-printed microfluidic channel demonstrating sample isolation during measurement for wearable, micro cloth-based analytical devices. This is the first fully screen-printed flexible PANI composite pH sensor demonstrated on a textile substrate that can additionally be integrated with textile-based microfluidic channels.

Robot-Based Calibration Procedure for Graphene Electronic Skin.

The paper describes the semi-automatised calibration procedure of an electronic skin comprising screen-printed graphene-based sensors intended to be used for robotic applications. The variability of sensitivity and load characteristics among sensors makes the practical use of the e-skin extremely difficult. As the number of active elements forming the e-skin increases, this problem becomes more significant. The article describes the calibration procedure of multiple e-skin array sensors whose parameters are not homogeneous. We describe how an industrial robot equipped with a reference force sensor can be used to automatise the e-skin calibration procedure. The proposed methodology facilitates, speeds up, and increases the repeatability of the e-skin calibration. Finally, for the chosen example of a nonhomogeneous sensor matrix, we provide details of the data preprocessing, the sensor modelling process, and a discussion of the obtained results.

Greenness assessment profile of a QbD screen-printed sensor for real-time monitoring of sodium valproate

Quality by design (QbD) identifies and controls process variabilities to achieve the desired method performance. Recently, analytical societies aimed to implement green chemistry (GC) aspects throughout the analytical procedures. We adopted a QbD approach to developing a screen-printed potentiometric sensor with a greenness profile assessment for the rapid and direct assay of sodium valproate (VPA) in different matrices. A screening factorial design selects the critical membrane components. The proportions of the latter were optimized using a custom experimental design. The data were statistically analyzed, and a desirability function was used to select the sensor recipe that achieves optimum slope, minimum quantification limit (LOQ), and maximum R-squared. The optimized sensor exhibited a swift and stable response for VPA with a slope of −57.099 mV/decade within wide pH (3.0–7.0) and linear (5.96 × 10-5 M to 1.00 × 10-2 M) ranges. The sensor was preferential selective for VPA in the presence of commonly interfering ions in the samples’ matrices. Four assessment tools, including the “National Environmental Method Index” (NEMI), the “Eco-Scale Assessment” (ESA), the “Green Analytical Procedure Index” (GAPI), and the Analytical Greenness metric (AGREE), were used as greenness assessment metrics to evaluate the greenness of the proposed method compared to the reported potentiometric methods. The greenness comparison indicated the superiority of the proposed method over the reported ones. Finally, the method achieved greener NEMI and GAPI quadrants with higher ESA scores (91) and AGREE scores (0.76) than the reported methods. The procedure was validated according to the ICH guidelines and is feasible for quality control laboratories.

Design and characterization of Screen-Printed Piezoresistive Cantilever for Gas Sensor Application

In this paper, the design, and the characterization of screen-printed cantilever-based humidity sensor are described. The project investigated in detail the sensitivity, and fabrication process of screen-printing based sensor with coated active humidity material on cantilever’s free end. The main aim of this paper is to compare the screen-printed technology with other existing technologies like micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS), and low temperature cofired circuit (LTCC). The sensor has been simulated under different level of relative humidity with two different temperature value: 35°C, and 45°C. This paper also represents an analytical and mathematical modeling approach for frequency shift and thick film resistance change of the selected sensor. The analytical results are compared with the simulated results.

Screen-printed capacitive pressure sensors with high sensitivity and accuracy on flexible substrates

Printable elastic conductors promise large-area stretchable sensor/actuator networks for healthcare, wearables and robotics, among other areas. Force pressure sensors are one of their most attractive applications, although their large-area integration has been limited by difficulties in their processability or bendability and their use by their insufficient sensitivity or stability. In this work, we present a flexible screen-printed capacitive pressure sensor, able to be modularly integrated in large-area systems thanks to the substrate flexibility, bending within itself capability and not only at its intersections, and cuttability, allowing a range of modifications in size and shape for complex structures. We built the sensors with a microstructured dielectric, whose hill radii were tuned (between 125 and 375 µm) until obtaining a measurement range of five orders of magnitude, with a logarithm sensitivity above 20% dB−1 at the maximum pressure peak of 750 kPa and of 80% kPa−1 at the lowest test value of 0.5 kPa. These results went along completely with the theoretical model that we also developed. Besides, while smaller pillars showed a significant hysteresis for decreasing pressures, we observed how large hills performed with a small hysteresis of down to 3%, way ahead of the published sensors to the best of our knowledge.

Facile synthesis of exfoliated graphite-supported cobalt ferrite (Co1.2Fe1.8O4) nanocomposite for the electrochemical detection of diclofenac

Diclofenac (DCF) is used to reduce inflammation substance, which causes pain and inflammation, in the human body. However, the overconsumption of DCF may cause life-threatening problems in humans. Therefore, it is necessary to detect DCF levels in human urine samples because it is excreted in the urine after taking DCF. We developed a facile synthetic route for obtaining an exfoliated graphite (Gr)-supported cobalt ferrite (EGr-Co1.2Fe1.8O4) nanocomposite using an ultrasonication method that does not involve calcination. The prepared EGr-Co1.2Fe1.8O4 nanocomposite was examined by various physicochemical characterization methods. The nanocomposites were successfully agglomerated on the exfoliated Gr surface under the optimized experimental conditions. An EGr-Co1.2Fe1.8O4 nanocomposite was employed to fabricate electrochemical sensors for the sensitive electrochemical detection of DCF in human urine samples. The EGr-Co1.2Fe1.8O4 modified screen-printed carbon electrode sensor shows excellent electrochemical activity toward DCF with excellent sensitivity (1.059 µA µM−1 cm−2) within an acceptable linear concentration range (0.01–23.1 µM) and a very low limit of detection (1 nM).