Electrochemical Sensing of Nitrofurazone and Semicarbazide on an Au-Ag Film Fabricating from a Deep Eutectic Solvent

Abstract

A facile electrochemical sensor is reported for the highly selective and sensitive detection of nitrofurazone (NFZ) and its metabolites, semicarbazide (SC), by using an Au-Ag modified electrode. The Au-Ag film was produced on a Cu foil by electrodeposition in a choline chloride-urea-glycerol ternary deep eutectic solvent containing gold (III) ions and silver (I) ions. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) indicates that the co-deposition of Au-Ag would be feasible. The morphology, crystallinity, and composition of Au-Ag deposits were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffractometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under the optimal condition, the Au-Ag modified electrode shows a wider linear concentration range of 1.99–643.49 μM with a low detection limit of 0.2 μM for NFZ. The corresponding linear range of SC is 7.94 to 482 μM, and the detection limit is 1.01 μM. It also demonstrated good anti-interference ability against various common interfering substances. Finally, the modified electrode was successfully applied in the real samples, and the average recoveries for NFZ and SC were 100.59% and 101.01%, respectively. The present electrochemical strategy is promising to broaden the practical electrochemical application in the environment.