Journal Article

Molecularly imprinted polymer photoelectrochemical sensor for the detection of triazophos in water based on carbon quantum dot-modified titanium dioxide

Xie, Shilei, Wang, Shoushan, Cheng, Faliang, Xie, Dong, Zeng, Yinan, Liu, Peng, Ding, Lei, Zhang, Min

2024

Overview

Widely used organophosphorus pesticide triazophos (TAP) can easily cumulate in aquatic system due to its high stability chemically and photochemically and thus posing significant threat to aquatic creatures and humans’ health. Urging demand for rapid determining TAP in water has risen. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing turns out to be a good candidate for its simplicity in fabrication and swiftness in detection. Nevertheless, traditional PEC sensors often lack selectivity as their signal generation primarily relies on the oxidation of organic compounds in the electrolyte by photo-induced holes. To address this limitation, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) can be in combined with PEC sensors to significantly enhance the selectivity. Here, we present a novel approach utilizing a PEC sensor enhanced by carbon-modified titanium dioxide molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP/C/TiO 2 NTs). Carbon quantum dot (CQD) modification of titanium dioxide nanotube arrays (C/TiO 2 NTs) was achieved through a one-step anodization process, effectively enhancing visible light absorption by narrowing the band gap of TiO 2 , and CQDs also function as sensitizer accelerating charge transfer for improved and stable photocurrent signals during detection. Our method further incorporates MIPs to heighten the selectivity of the PEC sensor. Electro-polymerization using cyclic voltammetry was employed to polymerize MIPs with pyrrole as the functional monomer and triazophos as the target molecule. The resultant MIP/C/TiO 2 NT sensor exhibited remarkable sensitivity, with a detection limit of 0.03 nM (S/N = 3), alongside exceptional selectivity and stability for triazophos detection in water. This offers a promising avenue for efficient, cost-effective, and rapid monitoring of pesticide contaminants in aquatic environments, contributing to the broader goals of environmental preservation and public health.

• Publisher: Springer Vienna,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Analytical Chemistry / Aquatic environment / Carbon / Carbon dots / Characterization and Evaluation of Materials / Charge transfer / Chemistry / Chemistry and Materials Science / Chromatography / Contaminants / Electrodes / Electrolytes / Electromagnetic absorption / Electrons / Harvest / Imprinted polymers / Light / Microengineering / Morphology / Nanochemistry / Nanomaterials / Nanotechnology / Nanotubes / Organic compounds / Organophosphorus pesticides / Original Paper / Oxidation / Pesticides / Photoelectric effect / Polymer industry / Polymerization / Polymers / Public health / Quantum dots / Sensors / Signal generation / Stability / Titanium / Titanium dioxide / Triazophos / Voltammetry / Water