A novel mesoporous molecular sieves-based electrochemilumenescence sensor for sensitive detection of azithromycin

A new mesoporous molecular sieves-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was developed for the quantitative detection of azithromycin (AZM). Zeolite Socony Mobile-Five (ZSM-5) nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Electrochemical and ECL behaviors of the Ru(bpy)32+/ZSM-5/Nafion multilayer film-modified electrodes were investigated. The ECL sensor was used to detect AZM and showed a wide linear range from 0.0038 to 62.5 μM, with a detection limit of 1.27 nM (S/N = 3). The high sensitivity and stability was mainly attributed to the large surface-to-volume ratios and superior adsorption capacity of ZSM-5 nanoparticles. Moreover, the ECL sensor was applied for detection of AZM in azithromycin dispersible tablets sample, and the results were satisfactory with the recoveries of 96.0–102.8%. The proposed signal amplification strategy for the preparation of ECL sensor could be easily attained and be promising for ultrasensitive drug assay.