TARGET ANALYTE-ASSISTED SENSITIVE ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION OF COCAINE USING SCREEN PRINTED ELECTRODES

Abstract

Cocaine is one of the most abused drugs worldwide, with over 20 million users in 2019. The use of cocaine leads to various health conditions and death due to overconsumption. Existing detection technologies fall short of meeting the guidelines set by organizations regarding a practical roadside cocaine detection device. Herein, a novel electrochemical cocaine detection method is presented using the electroactive characteristics of the cocaine molecule that does not require any biomolecules or chemicals for detection. This research implements the cocaine-modified carbon working electrodes to detect cocaine using Cyclic Voltammetry in phosphate buffer solution and human saliva. The affinity of the cocaine samples to the cocaine-modified screen printed electrodes is demonstrated with the support and implementation of machine learning. The proposed cocaine detection was used to detect concentrations from 10 to 1000 ng/mL. Furthermore, the successful detection of cocaine in the presence of various interfering substances revealed that the present study is highly specific and promising for developing a roadside oral fluid cocaine detection kit.