Electroactive nanoporous gold driven electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous detection of carbendazim and methyl parathion.

The extensive use of pesticides such as methyl parathion (MP) and carbendazim (CBM) has posed serious risks to human health due to their high toxicity, coexistence, and persistence in the environment. Therefore, it is very urgent to develop a multipesticide detection platform to realize the simultaneous detection of many kinds of pesticides. Here, nanoporous gold (NPG) with unique structural and functional properties was selected as a recognition element to construct an electrochemical sensor. This is the first time that NPG, as an active electrocatalyst, achieved the simultaneous electrochemical detection of MP and CBM, with a large peak potential separation of 0.70 V. For the detection of MP and CBM, good linear responses were observed in large concentration ranges of 0.5–150 μΜ for MP and 3.0–120 μΜ for CBM, with high sensitivities of 186.53 μA mM−1 cm−2 for MP and 484.51 μA mM−1 cm−2 for CBM, as well as low detection limits of 0.02 μM for MP and 0.24 μM for CBM. Additionally, the NPG/GCE electrode presented strong specificity, selectivity, and anti-interference capability in the simultaneous detection of MP and CBM. The environmental water sample analysis was also achieved with satisfactory results, which made the NPG/GCE electrode a reliable method for the simultaneous electrochemical detection of MP and CBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]