Surface-modified polymer nanozyme sensor for pesticide detection
A novel aptamer-attached polymer nanozyme sensor platform enabling selective, point-of-care pesticide detection for agricultural and food safety applications. This eco-friendly, self-assembled technology overcomes limitations of existing MOF-based nanozymes by offering easier fabrication, lower toxicity, improved stability, and reduced cost for lab-free field use.
Overview
Pesticide contamination poses a significant global health risk, with approximately one million cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning occurring annually. Current detection methods rely on complicated analytical processes and expensive materials, limiting their practical use in agricultural and environmental settings. This proposal introduces a novel polymer nanozyme sensor platform functionalized with pesticide-selective aptamers to enable rapid, selective, and cost-effective point-of-care pesticide detection. By leveraging the intrinsic enzyme-like catalytic activity of nanozymes, the technology provides a practical biomolecule detection solution tailored for agri-environmental and food safety applications.
Technical specifications
- Polymer nanozyme core: Self-assembled, eco-friendly polymeric material with strong intrinsic catalytic activity, designed as an alternative to metal-organic framework (MOF)-based nanozymes
- Surface modification: Aptamer attachment on the nanozyme surface enables selective recognition of target pesticide molecules
- Detection method: Colorimetric and spectroscopy-based readout, supporting lab-free field deployment
- Key advantages over existing platforms: Simplified fabrication, reduced toxicity, improved stability, and lower cost compared to conventional MOF-based nanozyme sensors
- Validation pipeline: Five-step characterization including morphological analysis, catalytic performance testing, stability evaluation, colorimetric detection, and spectroscopic detection
- Target applications: On-site pesticide detection in agricultural fields, food safety screening, and environmental monitoring
Technology readiness level
The technology is at an early-to-mid stage of development. A foundational polymer nanozyme with confirmed formation and strong catalytic activity has been developed and is currently under revision for publication. Candidate polymeric materials have been identified and characterized, and a pesticide-selective aptamer has been designed. Next steps include engineering the size and surface properties of the nanozyme, further optimization of the base material, and completing the five-step validation pipeline (morphological, catalytic, stability, colorimetric, and spectroscopic detection) to advance toward field-ready deployment.
About University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign is a flagship public research university with large‑scale research capacity and a broad academic portfolio. An on‑campus Research Park co‑locates corporate R&D teams and startups with faculty, while the National Center for Supercomputing Applications provides advanced computing and data capabilities for collaboration. Integration with a regional health system and an engineering‑based college of medicine enables clinical translation, and a long‑standing extension network links campus innovation to partners statewide. Research is supported by competitive federal funding from NSF, NIH, DOE, USDA, and DoD. A technology transfer office streamlines IP, licensing, and startups, complemented by incubators and prototyping in the Research Park.
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