Development of a carbon cloth electrochemical sensor for the detection of cefixime

Analyzing antibiotics plays a vital role in safeguarding public health, preserving environmental integrity, maintaining food safety, and meeting regulatory requirements. This work reports a carbon cloth (CC) electrochemical sensor employed to detect the antibiotic cefixime. The woven CC was found to have excellent electrochemical properties such as good conductivity, superior adsorption and chemical resistance, as well as environmental friendliness. The microstructure of the CC material was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) while the electrochemical properties of the CC were assessed and compared with glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. A well-defined oxidation peak was observed for cefixime on the CC electrode at +750 mV, 120.0 mV lower than the GC electrode. The CC electrode exhibited excellent anti-fouling properties, which enabled the sensor to be used multiple times for the analysis of cefixime. In addition, the CC electrode demonstrated a high affinity for cefixime, allowing the capture and retention of cefixime from solution and subsequent measurement. This approach compares well with regular measurement protocols, with the added advantage of reducing the effect of interferences that can be present in samples. The CC electrode showed good linearity in the concentration range from 2 to 100 μM cefixime with a limit of detection around 1 μM. Cefixime was also measured in the presence of different concentrations of horse serum using the CC electrode without any loss of sensitivity due to surface fouling.