Eco-responsive CeCo-MOF/g-C3N4 heterointerfaces for electrochemical detection of nilutamide in aquatic systems

The widespread occurrence of pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic environments necessitates the development of sensitive and sustainable sensing platforms for environmental monitoring. In this work, a bimetallic cerium‑cobalt metal-organic framework (CeCo-MOF) integrated with two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) was developed as a sustainable catalyst for the selective detection of nilutamide (NTM). The CeCo-MOF/GCN heterointerface combines the abundant redox-active Ce/Co sites of the MOF with the excellent electrical conductivity, large surface area, and chemical stability of GCN, providing rapid electron transfer and enhanced electrochemical activity. The CeCo-MOF/GCN nanohybrid was synthesized via a hydrothermal method and characterized using structural, morphological, chemical, and electrochemical techniques. Among the proposed catalyst ratios (1:1, 1:2, and 2:1), the 1:1 CeCo-MOF/GCN composite exhibited the highest electrochemical response towards NTM. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) demonstrated a wide linear detection range of 0.003–812 μM, with an ultralow limit of detection of 0.0016 μM and a high sensitivity of 0.3465 μA μM −1 cm −2 . The sensor also exhibited excellent selectivity, reproducibility, and stability. Furthermore, practical applicability was demonstrated through the determination of NTM in spiked tap and river water samples, yielding satisfactory recoveries ranging from 97% to 100%. These results demonstrate that the CeCo-MOF/GCN heterointerface is a sustainable and efficient electrochemical sensing platform with significant potential for monitoring pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic environments.