A novel coordination polymer array sensor for differential detection of nitroimidazole antibiotics

The development of efficient, rapid, portable, and accurate analysis methods for detecting veterinary antibiotic residues in water matrices is highly demanded for environmental safety assessment. In this study, we have developed a sensor array (Cd-phen-PEDA) for the discrimination of various nitroimidazole antibiotics (NIIMs). The Cd-phen-PEDA sensor array exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of metronidazole (MNZ), ornidazole (ONZ), and dimetridazole (DMZ). The limit of detection (LOD) for each antibiotic is 6.18 μM for MNZ, 4.80 μM for ONZ, and 5.40 μM for DMZ. The detection application of the Cd-phen-PEDA sensor array for nitroimidazole antibiotics (NIIMs) was successfully extended to real environmental samples. This demonstrates the practical applicability and reliability of the sensor in real-world scenarios, further enhancing its potential for environmental safety assessment. The Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) results confirm the effectiveness of the Cd-phen-PEDA-based luminescent array in simultaneously identifying and detecting nitroimidazole antibiotics (NIIMs) in environmental samples. This dual analytical approach not only enhances the accuracy of detection but also provides a robust method for the discrimination and quantification of these antibiotics across various environmental matrices.