Electrochemical luminescence sensor based on NiCo-LDHs@CNFs is used for accurate detection of pheniramine maleate.

Pheniramine maleate, a first-generation over-the-counter antihistamine, is widely used to treat allergies and as a sedative. However, its irrational use may result in drug-safety problems and threaten human health. Therefore, methods for rapidly detecting pheniramine have been widely studied and are significant from a practical perspective. In this study, we used electrospinning and hydrothermal methods to grow NiCo-based layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets on the surfaces of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and prepare NiCo-LDHs@CNF-based electrochemiluminescence sensors for the highly sensitive detection of pheniramine. The results show that both Ni and Co elements in NiCo-LDHs have multiple valence states. During the electrochemical process, these metal ions can rapidly and reversibly transform into each other among different valence states, forming efficient surface REDOX pairs. However, pure NiCo-LDHs tend to accumulate on the electrode surface. Therefore, in the prepared NiCo-LDHs@CNFs, CNFs act as the central skeleton to firmly support NiCo-LDHs, endowing them with high catalytic activity, high electrical conductivity, large specific surface area and excellent structural stability. The electrochemiluminescent sensor exhibited a detection limit of 8.6 × 10-10 mol/L in the 1 × 10-8 to 6 × 10-5 mol/L range, with a coefficient of determination of 0.9997. The sensor delivered a recovery rate of 97.1-103.4% and a relative standard deviation of less than 5%. Accordingly, the NiCo-LDHs@CNF electrochemiluminescence platform is expected to provide reliable technical support for drug concentration analysis.