An electrochemical sensor based on Ag nanoparticles decorated on cadmium sulfide nanowires/reduced graphene oxide for the determination of acyclovir

• Ag NPs/CdS NWs/RG nanocomposite was prepared by a facile method. • The sensor based on Ag NPs/CdS NWs/RG presented wide linear range, excellent selectivity, good reproducibility and stability. • The fabricated sensor was successfully used for the quantitative analysis of ACV. Acyclovir (ACV), despite its good properties may be harmful to the body. So, its monitoring is important. In this work, a novel silver nanoparticles/cadmium sulfide nanowires/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite (Ag NPs/CdS NWs/RG) was successfully prepared and used as an excellent modifier for the electrochemical detection of ACV. The formation of nanocomposite was approved through different techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and EIS. The Ag NPs/CdS NWs/RG modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was used for monitoring ACV by differential pulse adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry (DPAASV) method. The fabricated sensor presented a good linearity in the ranges of 10 nM-4 µM and 4–40 µM, with an outstanding detection limit of 3.3 nM. The fabricated sensor offered satisfactory performance in the quantitative detection of ACV in blood serum, tablet, and topical cream samples.