Acetylcholinesterase voltammetric biosensors based on carbon nanostructure-chitosan composite material for organophosphate pesticides

A sensitive biosensor for chloropyrifos (CPF), an organophosphorus pesticide, was developed by immobilizing acetylcholinesterase (AChE) through covalent bonding to an oxidized exfoliated graphite nanoplatelet (xGnPs)–chitosan cross-linked composite. Because of the increased surface area and the conductive properties of the nanomaterial, AChE developed a high affinity for acetylthiocholine (ATCI) and formed thiocholine with a fast response. The response of the sensor was a linear function of ATCI concentration in two segments, one from 0.005 to 0.039 mM and the second from 0.064 mM to 0.258 mM. The corresponding equation for the first range was ip(A) = 2.26 × 10− 5c + 4.39 × 10− 7 (R2 = 0.992) and the equation for the second was ip(A) = 6.80 × 10− 6c + 1.30 × 10− 6 (R2 = 1.000), with a detection limit of 1.58 × 10− 10 M. The fabrication of the sensor was simple, the response was fast and the stability acceptable. This sensor has many potential applications, the foremost being in organophosphorus pesticides.