Hierarchical α-zirconium phosphate/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for sensitive determination of fleroxacin

The abuse and misuse of fleroxacin (FLE) has led to its concerning accumulation in food and environment, posing potential health risks that demand a rapid, reliable, and sensitive determination method for FLE in complex matrices. Herein, a novel electrochemical sensing platform based on α-zirconium phosphate/reduced graphene oxide (α-ZrP/rGO) nanocomposites was firstly established for sensitive detection of trace FLE residues in tap water and honey. The synergistic interaction between α-ZrP and rGO significantly enhanced the system's electrochemical performance through both enlarged electroactive surface area and accelerated electron transfer kinetics. As a result, the optimized ZrP/rGO modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) exhibited excellent sensing performance for FLE, with a wide linear response range (0.1 – 10 μM) and a low limit of detection (0.02 μM). In addition, the α-ZrP/rGO/GCE demonstrated high selectivity against potential interferents, and showed good reproducibility and stability (92.12 % response retention after 15 days). Finally, practical applications in real samples yielded satisfactory recoveries of 98.1 % − 103.4 % in tap water and 98.8 % − 104.3 % in honey. These results highlight the potential of α-ZrP/GO nanocomposite as an efficient, reliable platform for real-time, on-site detection of FLE residues in food and environmental matrices.