Simultaneous determination of environmental contaminants using a graphite oxide - Polyurethane composite electrode...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Pharmaceuticals like terbutaline (TER), nimesulide (NIM), and methocarbamol (MET) can contaminate river water.
• Accurate detection methods are crucial for monitoring environmental drug levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a composite electrode for the simultaneous determination of TER, NIM, and MET in river water.
• To assess the performance of a β-cyclodextrin (CD)-modified graphite oxide (GrO)-polyurethane (PU) electrode (CD-GrOPUE) compared to unmodified electrodes.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a CD-GrOPUE and comparative analysis with GrO-PU (GrOPUE) and graphite oxide-polyurethane (GrPUE) electrodes.
• Voltammetric techniques, including cyclic voltammetry and square-wave voltammetry, were employed for drug detection.
• Electrode characterization using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry.

Main Results:

• The CD-GrOPUE exhibited higher peak current values for TER, NIM, and MET compared to control electrodes.
• Linear ranges for detection were established: 2.5-30 μmol L⁻¹ for TER, 0.62-7.3 μmol L⁻¹ for NIM, and 0.62-7.3 μmol L⁻¹ for MET.
• The developed method demonstrated accurate simultaneous determination of the three drugs in river water samples, comparable to a reference spectrophotometric method.

Conclusions:

• Modification of graphite oxide with β-cyclodextrin creates a robust and simple sensor platform.
• The CD-GrOPUE is effective for the simultaneous determination of terbutaline, nimesulide, and methocarbamol in environmental water samples.
• This sensor offers a promising tool for environmental analysis of pharmaceutical contaminants.