A novel amperometric biosensor based on single walled carbon nanotubes with acetylcholine esterase for the detection of carbaryl pesticide in water

Amperometric biosensor is fabricated for the detection of carbaryl based on single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and acetylcholine esterase (AchE). The dispersion of SWCNTs in positively charged polyelectrolyte, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA), possibly takes place due to weak supramolecular interaction between them, which then binds electrostatically to the negatively charged AchE at pH 7.4 using layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. The optical intensity of UV/vis spectra increased with the number of layers, indicating the build up of a multilayer coating on the electrode. The activity of acetylcholine esterase on modified electrode of 3 mm in diameter was found to be 0.2 U. The biosensor showed good sensitivity and stability towards the monitoring of carbaryl pesticides in water with the detection limit of 10⁻¹² g L⁻¹ and recovery of 99.8 ± 2.7% to 10⁻¹⁰ g L⁻¹. This protocol can be used for the immobilization of other enzymes to fabricate a range of biosensors.