Highly active Mn2O3-Fe3O4 catalyst with abundant metal-oxygen bonds for real time sensing of carbendazim in environmental samples

In agriculture, a benzimidazole-based fungicide of carbendazim (CBZ) is widely used for disease control in fruits and vegetables. However, its toxicity raises concerns about potential harm to humans from consuming contaminated food. In this study, we developed an eco-friendly manganese iron oxide (Mn2O3-Fe3O4) catalyst via coprecipitation, employing with high temperature annealing (MFO-A) and calcination (MFO-C) techniques. Comparative physical and chemical characterization demonstrated that MFO-A performed better than MFO-C. The prepared catalyst was employed to modify a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in order to enable electrochemical CBZ sensing through cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Under the optimized experimental condition, the sensor achieving a lower limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), and sensitivity are 0.027ng/L, 0.084ng/L, and 1.57µA (ng/L)–1 cm−2. The sensor demonstrated excellent selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and storage stability with acceptable recovery rate. The effectiveness of the present sensor was further validated through real-time analysis of environmental and food samples, highlighting its potential for enhancing environmental safety.