Modified Electrode with ZnO Nanostructures Obtained from Silk Fibroin for Amoxicillin Detection

Antibiotics are a novel class of contaminants that represent a substantial risk to human health, making their detection an important task. In this study, ZnO nanostructures were prepared starting from Bombyx mori silk fibroin and Zn(NO3)2, using thermal treatment. The resulting ZnO structures were characterized using SEM, FT-IR, and XRD. They had a fibrous morphology with a wurtzite crystalline structure, with nanometric dimensions. FT-IR and XRD confirmed silk fibroin’s disappearance after thermal treatment. To prepare modified electrodes for amoxicillin (AMX) antibiotic detection, ZnO nanostructures were mixed with Nafion polymer and drop-casted on an electrode’s surface. Parameters such as drying time and concentration appeared to be important for electrochemical detection. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was sensitive for AMX detection. The measurements revealed that the novel electrode based on ZnO nanostructures embedded in Nafion polymer has potential to be used for AMX electrochemical detection