Simultaneous determination of salbutamol and propranolol in biological fluid samples using an electrochemical sensor based on functionalized-graphene, ionic liquid and silver nanoparticles

A simple, rapid, and low-cost electroanalytical method was developed using a glassy carbon electrode modified with functionalized-graphene (FG), ionic liquid (IL) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for simultaneous detection of salbutamol (SAL) and propranolol (PRO). The electrochemical behaviour of the electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry (SWV) under optimised conditions. Using SWV, the AgNP-IL-FG-NF/GCE sensor showed a linear response from 79 nmol L-1 to 2.9 mu mol L-1 for SAL and from 0.1 to 2.9 mu mol L-1 for PRO with limits of detection of 13 and 17 nmol L-1 for SAL and PRO, respectively. The proposed sensor showed good stability, repeatability and reproducibility, and was applied successfully to the simultaneous determination of SAL and PRO in biological fluid samples. The proposed method proved to be excellent, being therefore a reliable alternative method for the simultaneous determination of SAL and PRO.