New electrochemical sensor offers simple, sensitive detection of common antibiotics

The widespread use of antibiotics has led to growing concerns about environmental pollution and bacterial resistance, making the development of rapid and sensitive detection methods crucial for public health. While techniques like chromatography exist, they often require expensive instruments and complex procedures. Electrochemical sensors present a promising alternative due to their simplicity, low cost, and high sensitivity, but their performance can be further enhanced.

Researchers from Donghua University have now developed a sensor that addresses this need. The work, led by Professor Zhang Xuan, resulted in a novel electrode fabricated by decorating inexpensive conductive carbon black (VXC-72R) with tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TBABF₄) and coating it onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Among several electrolytes tested, TBABF₄ proved most effective, significantly boosting the sensor’s sensitivity.

The optimized sensor, named TBABF₄/VXC-72R/GCE, detects CFL via a sharp reduction peak at 0.22 V. It exhibits an excellent linear response to CFL concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 10.0 µmol/L, with a remarkably low detection limit of 0.2 µmol/L. The sensor also demonstrates outstanding reproducibility, storage stability, and strong anti-interference performance against common substances like salts, sugars, and other biological molecules.

Critically, the team successfully applied the sensor to detect CFL in real-world samples, such as lake water, commercial pharmaceutical tablets, and fetal bovine serum. The recovery rates are highly satisfactory (93.0%–103.8%), and the CFL content measured in tablets closely matched the manufacturer’s claim, validating the sensor’s accuracy for practical applications.

This work provides a robust and cost-effective platform for monitoring antibiotic levels, contributing to environmental safety and pharmaceutical quality control. The research, entitled “Development of electrochemical sensor for cefadroxil antibiotic based on conductive carbon black decorated with tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate,” was published in Journal of Donghua University (English Edition) (Volume 42, Issue 4, 2025).