Highly sensitive detection of the hazardous insecticide carbofuran using tungsten disulfide nanosheets decorated with gold nanoparticles

Abstract

The present study explores the development of an advanced electrochemical sensor designed to detect and quantify a carbamate pesticide, carbofuran (CB), using gold nanoparticles decorated tungsten disulphide nanosheets (Au-WS2). Au nanoparticles have been integrated into the WS2 nanosheets through an in-situ chemical reduction method. The sensors made with Au-WS2 exhibit significantly improved performance compared to the pristine WS2 nanosheets. The addition of Au nanoparticles alters the surface properties of the electrode, increasing the number of active sites for electrochemical reactions and enhancing electron transfer properties, even with a small atomic fraction of Au (<10 %) in the WS2 nanosheets. The Au-WS2 modified electrode demonstrates superior sensitivity (2.83 µA µM−1 cm−2) and selectivity compared to WS2 nanosheets in detecting carbofuran offering a lower detection limit of 0.09 µM. Evaluation of the reproducibility and the stability of the fabricated sensor reveal consistent performance over longer periods. The fabricated Au-WS2 CB sensor exhibits promising potential for practical applications in environmental monitoring and food safety.