Potential Use of Chitosan-TiO₂ Nanocomposites for the Electroanalytical Detection of Imidacloprid

The detection of toxic insecticides is a major scientific and technological challenge. In this regard, imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid that is a systemic insecticide that can accumulate in agricultural products and affect human health. This work aims to study the properties of chitosan-TiO₂ nanocomposites in which nanoparticles with high surface area serve as molecular recognition sites for electroanalytical imidacloprid detection. We show that the best sensitivity to imidacloprid was obtained using a modified electrode with a chitosan-TiO₂ nanocomposite with a 40 wt.% of TiO₂ nanoparticles. By using a three-phase effective permittivity model which includes chitosan, TiO₂, an interface layer between nanoparticles and a matrix, we showed that nanocomposites with 40 wt.% of TiO₂ the interface volume fraction reaches a maximum. At higher nanoparticle concentration, the sensitivity of the sensor decreases due to the decreasing of the interface volume fraction, agglomeration of nanoparticles and a decrease in their effective surface area. The methodology presented can be helpful in the design and optimization of polymer-based nanocomposites for a variety of applications.