The quantitative analysis of cardio selective beta-blockers, such as the antihypertensive and antiarrhythmic medication acebutolol (ABT), is critical for biomedical and environmental monitoring. This study describes the development of a high-performance electrochemical sensing platform for ABT based on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with a silver nanoparticle/hexagonal boron nitride (Ag NPs/h-BN) nanocomposite. The morphological and structural properties of the synthesized materials were examined by using a microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The Ag NPs/h-BN/SPCE demonstrated exceptional electrocatalytic activity toward ABT oxidation, characterized by a significant reduction in overpotential and a substantial enhancement in peak current relative to unmodified and mono-component electrodes. This superior performance is attributed to the synergistic integration of Ag NPs and h-BN, which provides a high density of active sites, an expanded electroactive surface area, and accelerated charge transfer kinetics. Under optimized experimental conditions, the sensor exhibited a broad linear dynamic range of 0.01–284 μM, a remarkably low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.0049 μM, and a high sensitivity of 0.873 µA µM−1 cm−2 for ABT detection. Furthermore, the platform displayed excellent selectivity in the presence of common interfering species and robust reproducibility (RSD of 4.8%). The practical utility of the Ag NPs/h-BN/SPCE was successfully validated through the precise quantification of ABT in complex biological and environmental matrices. This work provides a versatile strategy for the rational design of metal nanocatalysts confined within h-BN frameworks for the development of advanced electrochemical diagnostic tools.
Alsukaibi et al. (2026) studied this question.