Carbon nanotube β-cyclodextrin modified electrode as enhanced sensing platform for the determination of fungicide pyrimethanil

- New sensor combining MWCNT, β-cyclodextrin and a polyaniline film.
- The proposed sensor has a high electrochemical sensitivity for determination of fungicide pyrimethanil.
- The modified electrode developed exhibited high stability and lifetime.
- This sensor was used for the quantitative determination of pyrimethanil in pome fruit.

A sensitive electrochemical sensor was successfully developed based on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified by a combination of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) incorporated in a polyaniline film, and applied to detect and determine the fungicide pyrimethanil in pome fruit (apples). The β-CD/MWCNT modified GC electrode displayed a detection limit of 1.04 μM (0.21 mg/kg) which is below the maximum residue levels set for pyrimethanil in pome fruit and citrus fruit by EU regulations. The results indicate that the β-CD/MWCNT modified GC electrode exhibits efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of pyrimethanil with high reproducibility, repeatability and stability. Furthermore, the obtained results were in excellent agreement with those obtained using an established HPLC procedure.