Wearable Electrochemical Biosensors for In Situ Pesticide Analysis from Crops

Abstract

On-site monitoring of pesticide presence on the surface of crops is a growing trend in precision and intelligent agriculture. In this study, the researchers prepared a wearable biosensor for the in situ detection of pesticides on the surfaces of crops. Here, a flexible fiber membrane substrate was prepared via the electrospinning technology. After the three-electrode system was transferred onto the membrane substrate used for screen printing, this resulted in a screen printing electrode(SPE) that can effectively adapt to the irregular surface of crops or fruits. By modifying the SPE with acetylcholinesterase(AchE), the biosensor showed excellent selectivity and recognition for the methyl parathion. To further enhance the electrochemical performance, the surface of the work electrode was modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGo). The developed wearable sensor successfully detected methyl parathion, showing a good linear relationship within the range of 1 ppb to 2 ppm. The detection limit was measured to be 0.48 ppb, enabling on-site monitoring of pesticide levels in plants. This work presents straightforward, sensitive, and efficient biosensors to analyze pesticides, which hold potential for application in detecting other agrochemicals. Moreover, this advancement could significantly contribute to the progress of precision agriculture in the future.