Gold Nanoparticle-Based Peroxyoxalate Chemiluminescence System for Highly Sensitive and Rapid Detection of Thiram Pesticides

Abuse and inappropriate disposal of the pesticide thiram can be hazardous to human health and sustainable development of the environment. Herein, we designed a peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence-based nanosensing system composed of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and specific-sized gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) for highly sensitive, rapid, and selective detection of thiram pesticide via a chemiluminescence “on–off” phenomenon. The nanoscale sensing system produced strong chemiluminescence through excited specific-sized Au NPs by the energy transfer from peroxyoxalate chemically; however, the chemiluminescence was very sensitive to thiram and decreased gradually because the discrete energy level of Au NPs changed after interacting with thiram to form an aggregated complex through intense Au–S bonds. The proposed chemiluminescence-based nanosensor could achieve the determination of thiram with a sensitive and low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.35 nM, within a detection time of 40 s. The nanoscale sensing system reported herein was simple, rapid, low cost, and highly sensitive and selective for sulfhydryl-containing environmentally hazardous substances like thiram pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables, milk, and environmental water, promoting the development and application of nanomaterial-based chemiluminescence sensing in the fields of food and environment safety monitoring.