Synergy of the LaVO4/h-BN Nanocomposite: A Highly Active Electrocatalyst for the Rapid Analysis of Carbendazim.

Abstract

In the field of agriculture fungicides are vital, providing the most important ecosystem service for food production. The widespread use of these chemicals can significantly lead to various ecotoxicological threats with adverse effects, such as environmental changes, microbial resistance, and phytotoxicity. Electrochemical sensors offer enormous potential for the identification and monitoring of hazardous substances in accordance with their constructive characteristics, namely, precision, accuracy, sensitivity, and selectivity, over traditional analytical techniques. Here, we thus report the synthesis of the lanthanum vanadate/hexagonal boron nitride (LaV/h-BN) composite for the electrochemical determination of carbendazim (CZ), which is a widely used fungicide for disease management with critical risks associated with its overexposure. The combination of LaV and h-BN accelerates the formation of active sites, facilitating faster charge transfer and higher electronic conductivity. The synergistic effects greatly improve the preference of the modified electrode with increased sensitivity, a lower limit of detection, and wide linear responses toward CZ detection. The existence of variable oxidation states in the orthovanadate together with the unique properties of h-BN mark LaV/h-BN as an advanced material for specific applications in the family of rare-earth metal orthovanadate. Also, the deep eutectic solvent-assisted synthesis of the material creates an environmentally efficient system with reduced energy requisites to allow for applications in effective environmental monitoring.