Electrochemical sensing of trace Gatifloxacin residues in water and honey using ZrMo2O8/rGO composites

An efficient electrochemical platform for determination of Gatifloxacin. • ZrMo 2 O 8 /rGO demonstrated remarkably synergistic effect toward Gatifloxacin. • Wide response range (0.1–10 μM), low LOD (0.02 μM) and good stability (10 d). • High sensitivity in the detection of Gatifloxacin in tap water and honey. Although antibiotics such as Gatifloxacin (GAT) offer therapeutic benefits, their potential adverse effects on human health necessitate the development of highly sensitive and selective detection methods. Here, we report a novel electrochemical sensor for trace GAT detection in complex matrices, fabricated by integrating bimetallic oxide zirconium molybdate (ZrMo 2 O 8 ) nanoparticles with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets. The synergistic combination of ZrMo 2 O 8 nanoparticles, a bimetallic oxide with superior electrocatalytic activity, and rGO nanosheets, which provides an exceptionally high specific surface area and electrical conductivity, enables high-performance GAT sensing. Under optimized conditions, the ZrMo 2 O 8 /rGO modified glassy carbon electrode (ZrMo 2 O 8 /rGO/GCE) demonstrated a wide linear range (0.1–15 μM), a low limit of detection (0.02 μM) and high sensitivity (7.040 μA μM −1 ). The ZrMo 2 O 8 /rGO/GCE also exhibited excellent repeatability, reproducibility, and remarkable anti-interference capability even in the presence of excess interfering substances. Notably, the ZrMo 2 O 8 /rGO/GCE maintained comparable sensing performance in real-world samples (tap water and honey), achieving recoveries of 98.40%–105.0% and highly consistent sensitivity with PBS buffer. This work presents a cost-effective, rapid-response, and highly sensitive electrochemical platform for trace GAT detection in complex samples, with promising applications in environmental and food safety monitoring. A highly efficient electrochemical sensing platform was developed for the detection of trace Gatifloxacin residues in tap water and honey, based on bimetallic oxide ZrMo 2 O 8 nanoparticles integrated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets. Download: Download high-res image (102KB) Download: Download full-size image