Electrochemical activity enhancement of monodisperse boron nitride quantum dots on graphene oxide: Its application for simultaneous detection of organophosphate pesticides in real samples

Abstract

Organophosphate pesticides are toxic chemicals and not allowed in nearly all countries. It accumulates in water and soil owing to its low solubility and bioaccumulation causing serious health problems. A novel voltammetric sensor approach based on monodisperse boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) on graphene oxide (GO) was presented for simultaneous detection of organophosphate pesticides such as methyl parathion (MP), diazinon (DIA) and chlorpyrifos (CHL) in water samples. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) method, x-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods were used for all nanomaterials' characterizations. After that, BNQDs/GO composite modified glassy carbon electrode (BNQDs/GO/GCE) was prepared and 1.0 × 10−12–1.0 × 10−8 M was founded as the linearity range. The limit of detection (LOD) for MP, DIA and CHL was calculated to be 3.1 × 10−13 M, 6.7 × 10−14 M and 3.3 × 10−14 M, respectively. Finally, the prepared electrochemical sensor was used for water and apple juice samples analysis with high sensitivity and selectivity.