Advanced Electrochemical Detection of 2,4-dichlorophenol in Water with Molecularly Imprinted Chitosan Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles

Abstract

2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is a hazardous chemical that can be passed down to offspring. Because 2,4-DCP degrades slowly and can be passed down to future generations, it’s a pesticide that needs to be continuously monitored and managed. With the use of chitosan-stabilized AuNPs on a glassy carbon electrode and the molecular imprinting technique, an effective electrochemical sensor has been built for the selective determination of 2,4-DCP in different aqueous samples. The analyte’s electroactive surface area and number of interaction sites are both increased by the AuNPs. The formulated AuNPs were characterized using several material characterization techniques. Molecularly imprinted nanomaterials provided the selectivity against other interfering chlorophenols. With a detection limit of 6.33 nM and a broad linear dynamic range of 21.09 to 310 nM, 2,4-DCP was found using differential pulse voltammetry. Without interference from structural analogs, the sensor was effectively evaluated in a variety of contaminated water samples.