Fe/Fe3C anchored on activated N-doped porous carbon for sensitive and selective determination of levodopa

Levodopa (LDA) is a principal medication for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, with its therapeutic efficacy and potential side effects being closely associated with administered dosages. Consequently, the development of sophisticated LDA detection methods is of significant importance. Herein, we present the successful fabrication of an innovative electrochemical sensor utilizing Fe/Fe 3 C nanoparticles supported on activated N-doped carbon spheres (Fe/Fe 3 C-ANC), which makes full use of the large specific area of ANC to accommodate more dispersive Fe/Fe 3 C NPs that exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity for LDA oxidation. The experimental findings demonstrate that Fe/Fe 3 C-ANC sensor can deliver wide linear response ranges (1–40 µM) with an impressively low limit of detection of 0.22 µM, surpassing the performance of most previously reported electrochemical sensors. Additionally, the good selectivity of Fe/Fe 3 C-ANC sensor was also proved through measuring a series of LDA structural analogues and potential interfering substances. Furthermore, its excellent selectivity was confirmed through the analysis of LDA structural analogs and potential interferents. The practical utility of the sensor was evaluated by detecting LDA in commercial tablets, spiked human serum and spiked artificial cerebrospinal fluid samples.