In the current work we report a simple and scalable technique for synthesis of ordered nanoporous Si-ZrO2 composite derived from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The composite was well characterized using SEM, TEM-EDX, FTIR, TGA, BET and DLS. The diatom-ZrO2 was found to have a specific surface area of 140 m2/g, Si:Zr ratio of 1:4 and a particle size of 80 ± 2 nm. This composite was evaluated as an enzyme free electrochemical sensor towards the detection of methyl parathion (MP) and showed excellent sensing ability at extremely low detection limits of 54.3 pM and a linear concentration range of 3.4 nM to 64 μM. The diatom-ZrO2 composite was also found to be highly selective towards MP as shown by its response even in the presence of high concentrations of other interfering molecules and ions.
Keywords: Differential pulse voltammetry; Electrochemical sensor; Methyl parathion; Nanoporous diatom-ZrO2.