Three-Dimensional Hierarchical Flower-Like Fe3O4 Porous Microstructure Decorated with Au Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Application for Sensitive Electrochemical Detection of Chloramphenicol

An electrochemical sensor based on the three-dimensional flower-like Fe3O4/Au porous microstructure to determine chloramphenicol (CAP) was successfully fabricated. This microstructure was synthesized hydrothermally with controlled reaction time in the presence of urea and decorated with Au nanoparticles via a simple chemical reduction method. The as-synthesized Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/Au porous microstructures were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, elemental mapping, x-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electrochemical performance of the sensor was investigated with cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The sensor exhibits excellent stability, reproducibility, and repeatability with a low CAP detection limit of 0.14 mu M and a linear range of 1.0 to 12 mu M. More importantly, it can be employed to determine chloramphenicol in the urine samples. [GRAPHICS] .