Carbon dot-assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles for the development of a detection platform for trichlorfon

Concerns over environmental pollution and human and animal health are on the rise, with insecticide/pesticide residues posing a significant challenge. Rapid and sensitive insecticide/pesticide detection systems play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Owing to their unique physicochemical features, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) stand out as an excellent platform for analyte detection with appreciable accuracy. In this study, a low-cost precursor material was used to synthesize hydrophilic functional groups containing carbon dots (CD) and then used as a stabilizing and reducing agent for synthesizing AuNPs via a one-step process. Various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize the material; sphere-shaped AuNPs formation was confirmed on the CD's surface. The fabricated nanoparticle was used for colorimetric sensing of trichlorfon in an aqueous solution. The quantification limit and detection limit were determined to be 9.887 µM and 29.96 µM, respectively. This study confirms that the developed AuNPs-based sensing platform offers a powerful and versatile system for real-time, on-site insecticide monitoring, with a range of futuristic applications.