Screen-printed electrode-based sensor for rapid ketamine determination: optimization and on-site application for seized drugs analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the electrochemical behavior of ketamine using an in-lab fabricated screen-printed electrode system and explores its potential application in quantitative analysis. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) experiments were employed to characterize the oxidation behavior of ketamine. Systematic optimization of DPV parameters, including pulse amplitude, pulse width, potential step, potential, and time accumulation for analyte preconcentration resulted in the selection of optimal conditions for quantitative analysis. The developed DPV method exhibited excellent linearity (R2 = 0.996) over the concentration range of 50–500 µM, with a limit of detection of 15 µM and a limit of quantification of 50 µM. Authentic samples analysis demonstrated the utility of the proposed sensor for quantitative analysis of ketamine in pharmaceutical products and seized drug samples. Overall, the developed sensor offers a promising tool for the rapid and accurate analysis of ketamine in various samples with potential applications in on-site forensic analysis. Graphical abstract