Phosphorus-doped helical carbon nanofibers as enhanced sensing platform for electrochemical detection of carbendazim

An ultra-sensitive aptasensor based on carbon nanohorns/gold nanoparticles composites for impedimetric detection of carbendazim at picogram levels

We reported a carbon nanohorns/gold nanoparticles composites-based impedimetric aptasensor for carbendazim (CBZ) detection in lettuce and orange juice at picogram levels. The increased electron-transfer resistance, resulting from the formation of CBZ-aptamer complex, was recorded by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as the aptasensor response for CBZ. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed aptasensor displayed a linear response for CBZ ranging from 1 to 1000 pg mL^-1 with a detection limit of 0.5 pg mL^-1. Noteworthy, the as-developed aptasensor displayed the lowest detection limit for CBZ among the previously reported methods. Common pesticides (atrazine, thiamethoxam, etc.) with 100-fold concentration did not interfere the CBZ detection. For CBZ detection in lettuce and orange juice, satisfactory recoveries were obtained with standard addition method. Statistics demonstrated that no significant differences were found between the data provided by standard HPLC-MS reference method and developed aptasensing method in term of accuracy and precision. We believe that the proposed aptasensor possesses a potential application for CBZ monitoring in agricultural product and food.

Voltammetric sensing based on the use of advanced carbonaceous nanomaterials: a review

This review (with 210 references) summarizes recent developments in the design of voltammetric chemical sensors and biosensors based on the use of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs). It is divided into subsections starting with an introduction into the field and a description of its current state. This is followed by a large section on various types of voltammetric sensors and biosensors using CNMs with subsections on sensors based on the use of carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxides, graphene nanoribbons, fullerenes, ionic liquid composites with CNMs, carbon nanohorns, diamond nanoparticles, carbon dots, carbon nanofibers and mesoporous carbon. The third section gives conclusion and an outlook. Tables are presented on the application of such sensors to voltammetric detection of neurotransmitters, metabolites, dietary minerals, proteins, heavy metals, gaseous molecules, pharmaceuticals, environmental pollutants, food, beverages, cosmetics, commercial goods and drugs of abuse. The authors also describe advanced approaches for the fabrication of robust functional carbon nano(bio)sensors for voltammetric quantification of multiple targets. Graphical Abstract Featuring execellent electrical, catalytic and surface properies, CNMs have gained enormous attention for designing voltammetric sensors and biosensors. Functionalized CNM-modified electrode interfaces have demonstrated their prominent role in biological, environmental, pharmaceutical, chemical, food and industrial analysis.

Ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor based on ferrocene and carbon nanofibers for highly specific detection of tetracycline residues

A sensitive and efficient ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor was designed for tetracycline (TET) detection in milk. The ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor was constructed by integrating two aptasensors termed as aptasensor 1 and aptasensor 2. The aptasensor 1 was fabricated that based on ferrocene (Fc) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) nanocomposite. Meanwhile, the aptasensor 2 was prepared that based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and AuNPs nanocomposite. TET-aptamer was immobilized effectively onto screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) surface through forming Au-S bond between AuNPs and thiol of aptamer at 5′ end to construct the aptasensor 1 and aptasensor 2. And their detection results were calculated by ratio. Thus, the proposed ratiometric aptasensor solved the problem of low accuracy and large differences between batches. Under the optimized conditions, the TET was detected by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Taken advantage of ratio calculation, the as-prepared ratiometric aptasensor could detect TET quantitatively in the range of 10⁻⁸–10⁻³gL⁻¹, with a detection limit of 3.3 × 10⁻⁷gL⁻¹. Moreover, its applicability to TET-contaminated real samples (milk) showed an excellent agreement with the values determined by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). With high sensitivity, accuracy and reliability, the developed ratiometric aptasensor held a great potential in TET detection for food safety.

Selection and Characterization of DNA Aptamers for Electrochemical Biosensing of Carbendazim

This article reports a novel aptamer-based impedimetric detection of carbendazim, a commonly used benzimidazole fungicide in agriculture. High affinity and specificity DNA aptamers against carbendazim were successfully selected using systematic evolution of ligand by exponential enrichment (SELEX). The dissociation constants (K_ds) of the selected DNA aptamers after 10 in vitro selection cycles were characterized using fluorescence-based assays showing values in the nanomolar range. The aptamer which showed the highest degree of affinity and conformation change was used to fabricate an electrochemical aptasensor via self-assembly of thiol-modified aptamer on gold electrodes. The aptasensor exploits the specific recognition of carbendazim by the aptamer immobilized on the gold surface which leads to conformational changes in the aptamer structure. This conformational change alters the access of a ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple to the aptasensor surface. The aptasensor response is thus measured by following the increase in the electron transfer resistance of the redox couple using Faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This method allowed a selective and sensitive label-free detection of carbendazim within a range of 10 pg/mL-10 ng/mL with a limit of detection of 8.2 pg/mL. The aptasensor did not show cross reactivity with other commonly used pesticides such as fenamiphos, isoproturon, atrazine, linuron, thiamethoxam, trifluralin, carbaryl, and methyl parathion. Moreover, the aptasensor has been applied in different spiked food matrixes showing high recovery percentages. We believe that the proposed aptasensor is a promising alternative to the currently used methods for carbendazim monitoring.