Sensitive sensing platform based on NiO and NiO-Ni nanoparticles for electrochemical determination of Metronidazole

NiO and NiO-Ni nanoparticles were synthesized via a low-cost and simple procedure using solvothermal-calcination method. Our preparation method is a facile and green chemicals process without using toxic/hazardous chemicals or any template. The nanoparticles were used to fabricate a sensor by drop-casting of its solution on a surface of a cleaned glassy carbon electrode. The effectiveness for the electrochemical determination of Metronidazole was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The modified electrode represented an electrocatalytic response for the analyte with a considerable decrease of overvoltage as well as an enhancing of the peak current in comparison with the bare electrode. The represented sensors showed linear behavior to metronidazole in the concentration range of 0.01–1.44 μmol L−1 (NiO-Ni) and 0.8–3.8 μmol L−1 (NiO) in CV and 0.01–1.63 μmol L−1 (NiO-Ni) and 0.01–0.47 μmol L−1 (NiO) in DPV techniques. The detection limits were found to be 0.007 (CV) and 0.006 (DPV) μmol L−1 for NiO-Ni and 0.4 (CV) and 0.008 μmol L−1 (DPV) for NiO modified electrodes, respectively. Additionally, the modified electrodes have significant benefits such as low cost, convenient preparation, fast response time, good stability, acceptable repeatability, high sensitivity, wide concentration range, and low detection limit.