N-doped graphene quantum dots combined with Ag nanoparticles for luminescence based analytical sensing of gentamycin after solid-phase extraction in a molecularly-imprinted polymer

Pinto I.A.; Toloza C.A.T.; De Falco A.; Almeida J.M.S.; Pedrozo-Penafiel M.J.; da Silva A.R.; Larrude D.G.; Aucelio R.Q.

N-doped graphene quantum dots combined with Ag nanoparticles for luminescence based analytical sensing of gentamycin after solid-phase extraction in a molecularly-imprinted polymer

item.page.type

Artigo

Date

2025

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Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis

item.page.citationsscopus

0

Authors

Pinto I.A.
Toloza C.A.T.
De Falco A.
Almeida J.M.S.
Pedrozo-Penafiel M.J.
da Silva A.R.
Larrude D.G.
Aucelio R.Q.

Abstract

© 2025 Elsevier B.V.A luminescence-based method was developed to detect gentamicin using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) associated with nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs). When gentamicin sulfate interacts with the AgNPs/N-GQDs system, the characteristic blue fluorescence of N-GQDs, which had been previously turned off by AgNPs, is restored. Under specific conditions (such as the amount of synthesis dispersion and pH), this AgNPs/N-GQDs probe enabled quantification of gentamicin ranging from 3.0 × 10−7 to 6.0 × 10−6 mol L−1. To address interference from other substances during the analysis, a solid-phase extraction, with a kanamycin-imprinted polymer cartridge, enabled accurate results. Two veterinary pharmaceutical samples were used to test the method and results were in agreement with those achieved by obtained using high-performance liquid chromatography with analyte chemical derivatization. This new method is straightforward, sensitive, and selective, and it is also considered eco-friendly (0.63 score Analytical greenness calculator) since it avoids the use of toxic chemical derivatization reagents, use nanoquantities of carbon and silver based nanomaterials and aqueous systems.