Synthesis and characterization of ordered mesoporous carbon-based materials for electrochemical detection of environmental pollutants

Abstract

Pesticides, employed in agriculture to boost harvests and control pests, harm the ecosystem. Surface runoff from their widespread use pollutes water and soil. Pesticides deplete beneficial insect populations, upset ecological equilibrium, and contaminate food chains, posing health concerns through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Moreover, heavy metals from industry, mining, and inappropriate waste disposal are persistent, harmful environmental pollutants. Lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic in soils and sediments pollute water supplies and endanger aquatic life, wildlife, and humans. Heavy metal exposure can cause neurological issues, reproductive abnormalities, and cancer, making cleanup necessary. Also, industrial activities, wastewater discharge, and agricultural runoff produce phenolic compounds, another harmful environmental contaminant. Bisphenol A, phenol, and chlorophenols poison aquatic species, limit plant photosynthesis, and alter microbial populations. Additionally, phenolic chemicals can stay in the environment for lengthy durations, causing long-term ecological damage and health concerns from tainted drinking water and food. As a result, environmental monitoring is becoming increasingly important for sensitively detecting and quantifying pesticides, phenolic compounds, and heavy metals. Electrochemical sensors and modification materials are prepared for specific pollutant detection, providing selectivity and sensitivity, thus enabling the detection of the target molecule down to the nanomolar or even picomolar range. In this respect, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) materials attract attention in electrochemical sensing applications due to their numerous advantages. OMCs are promising for catalysis and sensing applications due to their well-ordered pore structure, high specific surface area, and tunable pore sizes in the mesopore range. The unique properties of these materials could open a new approach to studying the electrochemical determination of other environmental pollutants. This review covers the properties, advantages, synthesis procedures, and characterization processes of OMCs and focuses on the role of OMCs in the electrochemical detection of environmental pollutants. Moreover, this study examines OMC-based research carried out in recent years in depth.