Electrochemical Sensing of Ciprofloxacin and Carbamazepine Using Highly Sensitive Metal-Organic Framework

Abstract Pharmaceutical residues in freshwater bodies significantly disrupted the aquatic ecosystems. Among them, antibiotics in waterbodies alter microbial communities and encourage the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The present study aims to synthesize a porous, flower-like zirconium-based metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF) using benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid (BDC) and zirconium chloride. A finely coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using the Zr-MOF was developed, which detected the pharmaceutical contaminants: carbamazepine (CBZ) and ciprofloxacin (CFX) via differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The modified electrode demonstrated a high electroactive surface area (18.90 × 10⁻⁴ mm²) and low charge transfer resistance (539 Ω). The study obtained the detection limits (LOD) of 0.25 µg/L for CFX and 0.34 µg/L for CBZ. The sensor exhibited a longer shelf life and fair selectivity in real water matrices. The zirconium-based metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF) is highly efficient, selective and sensitive in detecting the carbamazepine (CBZ) and ciprofloxacin (CFX).