L-Valine-assisted pyrene-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are developed as a sensitive electrochemical interface for the detection of chloramphenicol (CAP) antibiotics. The synergistic effect of L-Valine and pyrene enhances nanoparticle dispersion, stability, and electron transfer, enabling efficient CAP sensing with high sensitivity, selectivity, and potential applications in food safety and environmental monitoring.

Abstract

In this study, we have prepared a novel V-Py-functionalized AuNP/ITO electrode platform with excellent selectivity and reproducibility for CAP, even in the presence of a mixture of antibiotics. Here, gold nanoparticles were functionalized by a novel pyrene conjugated valine analogue(V-Py). These V-Py/AuNPs were successfully characterized by standard structural and morphological techniques such as powder XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–visible, and fluorescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The prepared V-Py/AuNPs were electrophoretically deposited on an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass plate using the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique. The electrochemical properties of prepared V-py/AuNPs/ITO were examined by the cyclic voltammetry (C/I/TOV) technique. Electrochemical response studies using the V-Py/AuNPs/ITO electrode for CAP estimation shared a linear progression in the concentration range of 1–150 µM. The limit of detection (LOD) and sensitivity of the electrode were found to be 3.79 × 10⁻² µM and 5.08 × 10⁻³ mA/µM × cm², respectively, with a response time of 15 s. This study presents a novel V-Py-functionalized AuNP platform with tremendous reusability and selectivity toward CAP, even in the presence of a mixture of antibiotics, which are the key highlights of this work.