Abstract
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•Hydrothermal synthesis of lead sulfide and metal (iron and cobalt) doped lead sulfide nanostructures.•XRD, SEM, FTIR, PL, and XPS spectroscopy are used for the characterization of synthesized materials.•The electrochemical behavior of synthesized materials has been evaluated for the detection of chloramphenicol.•Iron-doped lead sulfide nanostructures show an excellent limit of detection 0.13 μM (S/N = 3), specificity.
The World Health Organization urges strongly to change our needs for the prescription and use of antibiotics. This indicates the severe problem of antibiotic resistance evolving as a universal risk to the masses. Chloramphenicol (CAP) is one such antibiotic, banned internationally, however, it is still being utilized in developing countries due to its low cost and high efficacy. Therefore, routine monitoring of CAP is necessary for humans, food items, and other sources. In this study, lead sulfide (PbS) and different metals [iron (Fe) and cobalt (Co)] doped PbS nanostructures are used for the electrochemical detection of CAP. The PbS nanoparticles and their variants are prepared by the hydrothermal method. Physical, chemical, and surface characterization are done by XRD, SEM, FTIR, PL spectroscopy, and DLS analysis. Under optimum conditions, a quantitative kinetic study for all materials is done in the concentration range of 0.001 μM to 1.5 μM of CAP solution. Fe-doped lead sulfide materials showed a good linear response, sensitivity, and selectivity with a corresponding limit of detection of 0.13 μM (S/N = 3). For selectivity analysis of Fe-doped PbS, chlorfenicol, thiamphenicol, and clindamycin were used as competitors because of their structural and functional similarity with template (CAP) molecules. The electrochemical nano-sensors based on Fe-doped PbS have the potential to detect CAP even in the presence of interfering agents.