Structurally modified carbon nanotubes as twisted fibers towards electrochemical detection of environmentally hazardous cartap†

Abstract

Pesticides such as cartap play a crucial role in agriculture, as they are extensively used in controlling pests in crops like sugarcane, rice and vegetables. However, their excessive usage poses major threats to human health, causing neurotoxicity and respiratory disorders. In addition, they harm aquatic ecosystems by disrupting biodiversity. Consequently, effective detection and remediation are essential to minimize their adverse effects on human health and the ecosystem. For this purpose, an electrochemical method was used for the simultaneous detection and degradation of the under-reported insecticide cartap. In this work, vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays were grown and converted into fibers via simple mechanical spinning and used as a flexible electrode material for cartap electro-oxidation. The fabricated electrode exhibited excellent performance towards sensing and remediation without any surface modification. The fiber-based electrode showed a wide linear range, a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.575 mM, high sensitivity (7.98 μA cm⁻² mM⁻¹), reproducibility, and excellent electrocatalytic activity. The multi-functionality of this electrode was attributed to its unique properties like flexibility, compatibility with various media (aqueous and organic), cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration with membranes, making these fibers promising candidates for on-site facile detection and long-term degradation of cartap.