Nanoengineered scheelite-structured SrWO₄ decorated on MXene sheets: A novel platform for electrochemical sensing of the anti-cancer drug nilutamide with DFT insights

The persistent presence of the pharmaceutical pollutant nilutamide (NLT) in environmental and biological systems poses a serious threat to ecosystems and human health, necessitating efficient and sustainable detection strategies. In this study, we present a nanoengineered SrWO₄@MXene electrocatalyst as a high-performance platform for electrochemical sensing. The hybrid material seamlessly integrates the catalytic activity and electrochemical stability of SrWO₄ with the exceptional conductivity and tunable surface chemistry of MXenes, resulting in a synergistic architecture optimized for rapid and selective NLT detection. Detailed structural and spectroscopic characterizations confirmed the successful fabrication of the electrocatalyst, while electrochemical studies demonstrated an ultra-low detection limit of 0.07 μM, a linear range of 5–115 μM, and a high sensitivity of 5.66 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻². Moreover, density functional theory calculations provided insights into the energy level and electron active site of NLT during the electrochemical process. Real-world applications in pond water and human serum demonstrated the electrocatalyst's robustness, selectivity, and real-world applicability. This study establishes SrWO₄@MXene as an innovative, scalable, and environmentally sustainable electrocatalyst for pharmaceutical pollutant monitoring, offering significant advancements in electrochemical sensing for environmental and clinical applications.