Gold nanoclusters anchored manganese dioxide nanocomposites with high structural stability for sensitive detection of methyl parathion

A long-standing goal has been to create a high-energy transfer system for food safety detection. Herein, gold nanoclusters-anchored manganese dioxide (AuNCs@MnO2) nanocomposites are designed by using co-template assembly. Bovine serum albumin is utilized as both skeletons of nucleation and stabilizer to guide the synthesis of the AuNCs@MnO2 nanocomposites under physiological conditions without the use of any potent oxidants and the hazardous organic solvent. The AuNCs@MnO2 nanocomposites exhibit good energy transfer efficiency and structural stability even under high salt conditions and a wide range of pH values. A sensitive sensing platform for the detection of methyl paraoxon has been constructed as a result of the excellent performance of AuNCs@MnO2 nanocomposites. Acetylcholinesterase catalyzes the conversion of the substrate to produce thiocholine, which induces the decomposition of MnO2 and the fluorescence recovery of AuNCs. Coupling with the pesticide inhibition effect, the platform can be employed to quantify methyl parathion with a detection limit of 3.1 pg mL-1. The AuNCs@MnO2-based platform displays high stability and anti-interference capability in food and environment samples, endowing practical application in food safety monitoring.