Fast and facile electrochemical detection and determination of fungicide carbendazim at titanium dioxide designed carbon-based sensor

Abstract

The current research is focused on developing a sensitive, selective carbon-based sensor modified with nanostructure titanium dioxide (TiO2). The fabricated sensor was suitable for trace level quantification of fungicide, carbendazim (CRZ). The existence of the modifier TiO2 effectively increased the oxidation peak current of CRZ as compared to bare CPE. Voltammetric techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) were implemented to ensure the effect of various parameters on CRZ electrochemical activity. Diverse parameters such as immersion interval, pH, scan rate, temperature, and concentration variation were investigated. For electro-oxidation of CRZ, a phosphate-buffer electrolyte solution (PBS) of pH 7.0 and ionic strength of 0.2 M was used. Based on the results, the electrode process involved participation of two electrons and sensor surface reaction was diffusion-controlled. A heterogeneous rate constant (ko) of 2.1 s−1 was obtained. The detection and quantification limits were calculated as 1.71 × 10−8 M and 5.70 × 10−8 M, respectively. Stability, responsiveness, reproducibility, and repeatability are prominent features of the set up procedure. The suggested sensor displayed outstanding detection abilities for CRZ among variety of common metal ions and other pesticide molecules. The analysis of CRZ in environmental samples such as water and soil provided good recovery results.