In this study, an electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensing platform for carbofuran detection was constructed based on ECL energy transfer (ECRET) and carbon dot (C-dot)-tagged aptamers as the recognition element. Fullerene (C60)-loaded gold nanoparticles (C60-Au) were used as the energy donor, modified on a glassy carbon electrode. C-dot-tagged DNA aptamers were used as the receptor, and ECRET then occurred between C60-Au and C-dots. After accepting the energy, the C-dots acted as a signal indicator and showed decreased signal intensity in the presence of targets, which competitively bound to DNA aptamers and blocked energy transfer. Using this robust, straight-forward strategy, the sensor showed a linear ECL response to carbofuran at concentrations from 2.0 × 10-11 mol L-1 to 8.0 × 10-9 mol L-1. The detection limit of this assay was shown to be 8.8 × 10-13 mol L-1. Thus, the sensing approach described in this study could be adapted for use in the detection of various pesticide residue targets.
Keywords: Aptasensor; Carbofuran; Electrogenerated chemiluminescence; Fullerene; Gold nanoparticles.
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