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Direct electrochemical detection of clinically significant and emerging pharmaceutical pollutants, such as nitrofurantoin, is a critical challenge. Herein, we propose an efficient electroactive platform composed of Pd nanocubes (Pd NCs) embedded within partially oxidized MXenes (Ti3C2Tx-TiO2). This proximity between Pd NCs, in-situ generated TiO2, and Ti3C2Txresults in a highly compact and efficient architecture, facilitating enhanced charge transfer and electrocatalytic activity, which results in an efficient cathodic reduction to NFT at a much lower-over potential of − 0.4 V. The optimal composite configuration (Pd-Ti3C2Tx-P) enabled NFT detection in a dynamic concentration range from 1 to 140 nM, with a detection sensitivity reaching down to 0.01 nM (S/N = 3) against Ag/AgCl as the reference electrode. Furthermore, the developed sensor demonstrated outstanding selectivity toward NFT while tolerating probable interfering substances such as biomolecules, drugs, and metal ions. The sensor can detect NFT selectively in complicated environmental matrices such as hospital waste effluent samples. The proposed design offers a simple route to construct advanced electrocatalytic sensors with potential applications in monitoring emerging pharmaceutical pollutants.

The review provides a concise summary of recent works carried in the area of electro-chemical driven sensor systems which particularly utilize MXenes or its derivatives as hybrids or composites to serve as a suitable direct or indirect transducer platform

Background: Captopril is the synthetic dipeptide used as an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor. Captopril is used to treat hypertension as well as for the treatment of moderate heart failure. Analytical instrumentation and methodology plays an important role in pharmaceutical analysis. Methods: This review presents some important applications of electrochemical modes used for the analysis of captopril. So far captopril has been analyzed by using different bare and modified working electrodes with a variety of modifiers from organic and inorganic materials to various types of nano particles/materials. Results: This paper presents some of the methods which have been published in the last few years i.e. from 2003 to 2016. This review highlights the role of the analytical instrumentation, particularly electrochemical methods in assessing captopril using various working electrodes. Conclusion: A large number of studies on voltammetry noted by means of various bare and modified electrodes. Among all of the published voltammetric methods, DPV, SWV, CV and miscellaneous modes were trendy techniques used to analyze captopril in pharmaceutical formulations as well as biological samples. Electrodes modified with nanomaterials are promising sensing tools as this showed high sensitivity, good accuracy with precision as well as selectivity. In comparison to chromatographic methods, the main advantages of electrochemical methods are its cheaper instrumentation, lower detection limit and minimal or no sample preparation.

The practical use of supercapacitors necessitates the development of efficient carbon electrodes. Currently, the recycling of discarded masks (polypropylene, PP) produced during the COVID-19 epidemic has become a social problem that has attracted widespread attention. Converting these waste materials into high-performance electrode materials offers a sustainable and cost-effective solution, paving the way for resource-efficient energy storage technologies. Herein, through a simple sulfonation cross-linking strategy to improve the thermal stability of polypropylene (PP) molecular chains and followed NaOH activation, we successfully transformed the discarded masks into a highly value-added activated carbon material (SMAC). The process of sulfonation introduces oxgen-containing functional groups, which serves to improve both the wetting properties of the interface between the electrode and electrolyte, as well as contributes to the increase in pseudocapacitance. Therefore, the optimal SMAC-2 with a large specific surface area of 2629.7 m2g–1demonstrated an adequate specific capacitance of 338.1 F g–1in 6 M KOH electrolyte, while maintaining a capacitance of 203.7 F g–1even at a current density of 50 A g–1. In an organic electrolyte (1 M Et4NBF4/AN) with an expanded voltage window of 0–2.7 V, the SMAC-2 electrode delivered a specific capacitance of 138.1 F g–1at 0.5 A g–1. Furthermore, the sodium-ion hybrid capacitor assembled with SMAC-2 and commercial hard carbon as the cathode and anode, respectively, reached an energy density of 117.3 Wh kg–1at a power density of 257.3 W kg–1, highlighting the promising application prospects of the mask-derived activated carbon.

The inferior conductivity and structural durability are key issues in engineering suitable metal oxide-based hybrid electrodes for supercapacitor application. Herein, we propose using an in-situ route to couple Ni-Zn-Co trimetallic oxides (NZC) with CoWO4(CWO) to construct an efficient hybrid composite electrode. The approach offers an intimate/compact interfacial arrangement with a better synergy of multi-atom conductivity, surface area, and numerous redox-active sites, resulting in superior electrochemical characteristics compared to its pristine counterparts. Hybrid composites with varying mass combination ratios were studied for enhanced electrochemical performance, where ZNC@CWO-10 realized a comparatively better capacitance of 370.9 F g−1at 0.5 A g−1with a capacitance retention value of 90% after 500 cycles. The corresponding ASC devise exhibited a high specific capacitance of 140 F g−1at 0.5 A g−1in the potential window of −1 to 0.8 V with maintained retention of 80% during 5000 cycles. The enhanced electrochemical characteristics were attributed to the improved composting strategy, allowing for synergism of ZNC and CoWO4with superior interfacial arrangement paving the route towards excellent metal/metal oxide electrode material for supercapacitor applications.

A sensitive electroactive platform relies directly upon the efficient and conductive interface. This work offers a simple and effective method for synthesizing NiCo2O4using CTAB surfactant, suited for trace-level antibiotic detection. The route realized the controlled growth of tiny NiCo2O4nanoboulders with an exposed interface. A comparative evaluation of the bimetallic nanostructures with their pristine compositional counterparts, i.e., NiO and Co3O4, supports its superior electrochemical characteristics based on the synergism of strong redox activity and conductivity from the bimetallic components. The NiCo2O4nanoboulders exhibited strong electrochemical activity when configured as electrode material for detecting ofloxacin (OFL), a common antibiotic. The sensor exhibited excellent working linearity in a low-concentration range of 0.01–5 ​μM with a detection limit of 1 ​× ​10−3 ​μM for OFL. The kinetics of the NiCo2O4further supported the electrocatalytic oxidation of OFL to be diffusion controlled with an estimated diffusion coefficient of 2.03310−6 ​cm2 ​s−1. Moreover, the constructed sensor is applicable for detecting OFL from environmental samples, reflecting its workability in complex real-environment.