Cobalt aluminum layered double hydroxide as a superior electrochemical probe for the sensitive detection of anti-inflammatory agent mesalazine

An anti-inflammatory medication termed Mesalazine (MLZ) is generally recommended to prevent inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, its prolonged usage has been associated with the risk of kidney failure. Therefore, there is a pressing need for the development of effective electrocatalysts to enable rapid detection of MLZ in the environment. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have emerged as promising candidates in the realm of sensor technology due to their adjustable interlayer spacing and large surface area. In this study, we utilized the hydrothermal method to synthesize cobalt aluminum-layered double hydroxide (CoAl-LDH) and evaluated its suitability as an active electrocatalyst for MLZ detection. The prepared CoAl-LDH was characterized for its physicochemical attributes employing XRD, FT-IR, XPS, FESEM, and TEM analysis. Subsequent examination of its electrochemical properties via voltammetric techniques revealed that the CoAl-LDH-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity. Notably, the CoAl-LDH/GCE demonstrated a lower detection limit of 0.029 µM and a linear detection range spanning from 0.049 to 665.1 µM. Furthermore, the modified electrode demonstrated favorable attributes such as good repeatability, reproducibility, and stability. Real-time application of the modified electrode in the spiked water and urine samples yielded satisfactory recovery results, indicating its potential for practical use in environmental monitoring. [Display omitted] •Facile synthesis of CoAl-LDH via hydrothermal approach.•Fabrication of CoAl-LDH/GCE sensor for the detection of mesalazine.•The sensor displays good selectivity, repeatability, and reproducibility.•The proposed sensor was used to detect mesalazine in real samples and obtained acceptable results.