Quantum dots@porous carbon platform for the electrochemical sensing of oxytetracycline

Abstract The misuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of resistant microbial species and boiled over into a serious crisis worldwide. As a member of potent antibiotics, oxytetracycline is frequently detected in water environment. Thus, detecting oxytetracycline in water samples is vital for human health. Herein, we endeavour to build a novel and highly sensitive electrochemical sensor with CeO2-Co3O4 QDs@porous carbon nanocomposite, which amplifies the electrode sensor signal for detecting oxytetracycline (OTC). The as-synthesized CeO2 and Co3O4 quantum dots (QDs) are firmly embedded in the carbon sheets with the size dimension in range of 2–5 nm. The obtained morphological features were evaluated for their electrochemical potential towards oxidation of OTC. The results reveal that this novel electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance with the linear ranges from 1 × 10−8 M to 1 × 10−4 M and a low detection limit of 3.23 × 10−9 mol L−1. So, this method paves a new way for constructing electrochemical sensor, which enables a low-cost and effective utilization for the detection of OTC in the agricultural product.