Synthesis, characterization and electrochemical sensing application of a CoFe2O4/graphene magnetic nanocomposite for analysis of atenolol

Abstract A cobalt ferrite/graphene magnetic nanocomposite (CoFe2O4/GMNC) was synthesized via the hydrothermal method using inorganic salts and graphene sheets. The nanocomposite was characterized by different techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The results show that that CoFe2O4 nanoparticles with sizes of about 30 nm are distributed on the surface of the graphene sheets. The electrochemical behavior of CoFe2O4/GMNC was then studied by voltammetry for analysis of atenolol as a beta-blocker drug. The electrochemical sensing behaviour demonstrates that the nanocomposite could be a capable candidate for a drug sensor.