Development of amine-based transition metal MOFs as efficient electrochemical sensors for the detection of chloramphenicol in food and pharmaceutical samples

Antibiotic overuse leads to accumulation in the environment and the human body. Detecting antibiotics is essential, and Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are gaining recognition for their flexibility and large surface area. In this study, amine-based MOFs are synthesized using a facile solvothermal method to detect chloramphenicol (CAP), an antibiotic widely used in livestock farming. Fe-MOF, Ni-MOF, Zn-MOF, and Ti-MOF are evaluated through XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, BET, and TGA. The electroactivity of these MOFs is investigated through CV and DPV. For the first time, Fe-MOF displayed a high current response and selective CAP detection, even in the presence of interfering substances. This electrochemical sensor exhibited an outstanding sensitivity of 1.237 µA µM−1 cm−2, with a detection limit of 0.011 µM in the linear range of 0.04–68.18 µM. Remarkably, the sensor achieved a high sensing efficiency of 98.9 % in detecting CAP in milk and eyedrops. This work demonstrates the potential of Fe-MOF as a promising material for selective and sensitive CAP detection, with significant applications in food safety and environmental monitoring.