Detection of Nitrofurantoin Antibiotic via Electrochemical Technique Using Green Synthesized Iron/Graphene/Tetrakis (4-Carboxyphenyl) Porphyrin Nanocomposite as Electrode Material ☆

Antibiotic residues are always a threat to human health. Nitrofurantoin (NFT) is an antibiotic commonly used in agriculture, which can be dangerous to human life when entering the body through antibiotic residues in food. The green synthesized iron/graphene nanocomposite has shown promising electrochemical properties as a sensor for detecting NFTs. The morphology and structure of iron/graphene nanocomposite materials were evaluated by modern analyses, including Scanning Electron Microscope combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy elemental mapping (SEM-EDX mapping) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results show that iron nanoparticles with a size of 30-50 nm are evenly distributed on the graphene surface and interspersed in the porphyrin fibers. The factors of scan rate, pH, and amount of material affecting the ability to identify NFT in solution were investigated. A standard plot with a wide linear range of 1-200 µM was built to analyze NFT antibiotics. The results open up the potential for applying Fe/GNPs nanocomposite materials in electrochemical sensors to detect residues of other antibiotics in food.