Abstract
Improper disposal of pharmaceutical drugs, including antibiotics, can affect the ecological system and generate serious health problems for living organisms. In this work, we have developed an electrochemical sensor based on a strontium manganese oxide/functionalized hexagonal boron nitride (SrMnO3/f-BN) electrocatalyst for the detection of the antibiotic drug furaltadone (FLD). Various analytical techniques were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of the as-prepared SrMnO3/f-BN composite. The as-fabricated SrMnO3/f-BN composite electrode showed excellent sensing activity towards FLD, with a wide linear range (0.01-152.11 mu M) and low detection limit (2.0 nM). The sensor exhibited good selectivity towards FLD for detection in the presence of various interfering species (nitro compounds, metal ions, and biological compounds). Interestingly, real-time analysis using the proposed SrMnO3/f-BN composite was able to determine the FLD content in human urine and wastewater samples with good recovery. Hence, the as-developed SrMnO3/f-BN modified sensor could be viable in practical applications to target the antibiotic drug FLD in both human fluids and environmental samples.