Abstract
Pesticides, widely used in modern agriculture, could potentially cause environmental pollution and affect human lives. Hence, the development of a highly sensitive sensing element to detect pesticide residues is crucial for food safety and ecosystem protection. Optical methods based on fluorescence properties provide an ideal approach for screening and quantification of these compounds in different medias including water, plant, and nutritional products. The development of fluorescence emitting carbon dot-based sensors for monitoring pesticides has attracted great attention in recent years. In comparison to other fluorophores, carbon dots have more promising optical features, higher quantum yields and better biocompatibility. This article aims to present a novel fluorescent sensing method of diazinon, glyphosate, and amicarbazone using plant-based carbon dots. A comprehensive characterization of carbon dots obtained from cauliflower was performed by methods including UV-visible, FTIR spectroscopy, fluorometry, AFM, DLS, and zeta sizer. Following this step, carbon dots were used to detect pesticides. The fluorescence quenching property of carbon dots has been utilized to identify detection limit of 0.25, 0.5, and 2 ng ml-1 for diazinon, amicarbazone, and glyphosate, respectively. Also, real sample study revealed that the detection of pesticides accompanied by our developed nano-sensor is repeatable and accurate. According to carbon dots specificity determination, the prepared nano sensor does not have the potential to identify “bromacil” and “dialen super” pesticides but the other three mentioned pesticides are detectable. The results confirm that synthesized green carbon dots are well qualified for application in food safety and environmental monitoring.
Highlights
Pesticides are generally used in agriculture to prevent, control and eradicate weeds and pest from interfering with the crops production chain
As the pesticide residues have caused a global concern over mankind’s health and the environment, an accurate and expeditious detection method should be at the top priority
Carbon dots derived from cauliflower precursor and hydrothermal synthesis technique were synthesized as a nano-sensor to detect pesticides
Summary
Pesticides are generally used in agriculture to prevent, control and eradicate weeds and pest from interfering with the crops production chain. These involve insecticides, herbicides, and various pest control substances which are used to meet the demands of an ever-increasing population[1]. Since the development of pesticides, a significant amount of them have been consumed each year. The common detection strategies are not capable to detect low quantities of pesticides and the remaining residues contaminate the surrounding environment [2]. The pesticide residues could cause serious health problems for living organisms even in low concentrations [3]. The discussed issues express a firm requisition to monitor such chemicals in the environment and consumable products
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