Synergistic effect of CoNi anchored N-doped carbon nanotubes for enhanced chloramphenicol electrochemical detection

An electrochemical CAP sensor is constructed by CoNi/N-CNTs synthesized using nickel foam and melamine. • CoNi/N-CNTs features abundant active centers, fast electron transfer and synergistic catalytic efficiency for CAP reduction. • The sensor attains a low detection limit of 67   nM and a wide linear range for CAP detection. • Its Its practical application potential is validated by excellent stability and repeatability. The abuse of chloramphenicol (CAP) can trigger environmental and health issues, making it crucial to establish rapid and sensitive detection methods. Electrochemical sensors have garnered significant attention due to their advantages of simple operation and high sensitivity, with the performance of these sensors hinging on electrode sensing materials. In this study, using nickel foam and melamine as substrates and through appropriate cobalt doping, a cobalt-nickel nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (CoNi/N-CNTs) composite material was successfully synthesized. Subsequently, a high-performance CAP electrochemical sensor was constructed based on this material. In this sensor, the unique carbon nanotube structure of CoNi/N-CNTs provides abundant adsorption sites for CAP molecules. Meanwhile, its excellent electrical conductivity ensures rapid electron transfer between the electrode material and CAP molecules. Moreover, the uniform dispersion of Co and Ni forms stable electrocatalytic active centers, synergistically facilitating the reduction reaction of CAP. This sensor exhibits two linear ranges of 0.2–12 μM and 12–300 μM, a low detection limit of 67 nM, and a high sensitivity of 35.38 μA·μM·cm −2 in the low concentration range (0.2–12 μM). It also demonstrates outstanding anti-interference ability. Additionally, the sensor shows strong stability, maintaining 99.1% of its initial performance after 14 days and achieving a repeatability of 98.7% in eight independent experiments. This study offers an efficient and reliable method for detecting CAP in the environment, with broad application prospects. Download: Download high-res image (190KB) Download: Download full-size image