A sensitive determination of tramadol using a voltammetric platform based on antimony oxide nanoparticles

A novel voltammetric platform has been developed with nanoparticles of antimony oxide (Sb2O3 NPs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffraction method (XRD) were used for the characterization of the novel composite material (Sb(2)O(3)NPs/MWCNTs). The proposed composite material was used for the modification of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The proposed modified electrode (Sb(2)O(3)NPs/MWCNTs/GCE) was applied to the electro-oxidation of tramadol (TRA). A high catalytic activity was observed towards the oxidation of TRA using the proposed voltammetric platform. In addition, the electrode presented a large enhancement in the peak current when compared to several other electrodes. A selective detection of TRA was also observed in the presence of paracetamol (PAR) with large peak to peak separation. The peak current exhibited a linear dependence on the concentration of TRA in a dynamic range of 4 x 10(-8) -3.0 x 10(-5) with a detection limit of 9.5 x 10(-9) M. A successful procedure of the determination of TRA in pharmaceuticals makes the novel voltammetric platform of high interest for monitoring its therapeutic use.