Development of Carbofuran Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor Based on Carbon Black-Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanocomposite and Carbofuran Detection in Orange Juice Samples.

Carbofuran (CAR) is an extremely toxic carbamate insecticide that poses serious threats to both environmental and human health, which necessitates highly sensitive analytical methods for its detection in food matrices. This research introduced a novel strategy for CAR detection, presenting the synergistic interaction between molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and a carbon black-graphitic carbon nitride (CB-g-C3N4) nanocomposite. By integrating the high-affinity, specific recognition capabilities of MIPs with the superior electrochemical sensing performance of the CB-g-C3N4 platform, the developed methodology significantly improved the sensitivity and selectivity in pesticide analysis. Following the modification of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with the CB-g-C3N4 nanocomposite, the CAR-imprinted sensing interface was fabricated via cyclic voltammetry (CV). The electropolymerization process was conducted in a solution containing 100.0 mM pyrrole (Py) as the functional monomer and 25.0 mM CAR as the template molecule. This controlled electrochemical deposition facilitated the formation of a selective MIP layer, which effectively provided specific recognition sites on the nanocomposite-modified surface. Under optimized conditions, the sensor exhibited a linear dynamic range ranging from 1.0 × 10-9 M to 5.0 × 10-8 M. Furthermore, the limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 3.0 × 10-10 M, which highlights the sensor's high sensitivity and its suitability for monitoring pesticide traces. To evaluate the practical utility of the proposed electrochemical sensor, its performance was investigated using orange juice samples. The analytical results demonstrated excellent recovery rates close to 100%, confirming the sensor's ability to operate effectively within complex food matrices.