Ultrasonic-assisted preparation of halloysite nanotubes/zirconia/carbon black nanocomposite for the highly sensitive determination of methyl parathion

Herein, a cost-effective and scalable ultrasound assisted approach was proposed to prepare the nanocomposite of halloysite nanotubes/zirconia/carbon black (Hal/ZrO₂/CB), which was used to fabricate a novel electrochemical sensor for the highly sensitive determination of methyl parathion (MP). In the Hal/ZrO₂/CB nanocomposite, Hal with large specific surface area and numerous active sites could enhance the adsorption capacity and accelerate the redox reaction of MP; ZrO₂ nanoparticles with high affinity toward the phosphate group could contribute to good recognition performance for MP; CB nanoparticles with good dispersibility formed an interconnected pearl-chain-like conductive network. Benefitting from the synergistic effect of the three components, the Hal/ZrO₂/CB/GCE (glassy carbon electrode) sensor showed a remarkably low detection limit of 5.23 nM in a good linear MP detection range of 0.01–10 μM. The Hal/ZrO₂/CB/GCE sensor possessed a pretty decent practicality with satisfactory RSD and recovery results for the determination of MP in peach, pear, and apple juices. Therefore, the Hal/ZrO₂/CB/GCE sensor has important implication on the quite sensitive detection of MP.