# Ultra-sensitive glyphosate detection in soil and wastewater using Zn-zeolitic imidazolate framework-67/montmorillonite nanocomposite electrochemical sensor **Authors:** Mona Elfiky, Amr M. Beltagi, Marwa M. Bediwy PMC · DOI: 10.1007/s00604-026-07880-4 · 2026-03-11 ## TL;DR A new electrochemical sensor detects glyphosate at very low levels in soil and wastewater, helping protect the environment. ## Contribution A Zn-ZIF-67/montmorillonite nanocomposite sensor with ultra-low detection limits for glyphosate is developed. ## Key findings - The sensor achieved a detection limit as low as 0.009 nM in bulk solutions. - It detected glyphosate in spiked soil samples with a detection limit of 0.015 nM. - The nanocomposite provided high conductivity and a large electroactive surface area. ## Abstract A novel electrochemical sensor for the determination of glyphosate (GLY) has been developed. It is based on a nanocomposite of zinc-based zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 and exfoliated montmorillonite (Zn-ZIF-67/Exf. MMt). The composite was synthesized by a hydrothermal method and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and surface area analysis (BET). Incorporated into a modified graphite paste sensor (MGPS), the material provided high conductivity, large electroactive surface area (0.68 cm2), and low resistivity (75.0 Ω). Using square wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (SW-AdCSV), the optimized sensor, containing 1.0% (Zn-ZIF-67/0.5 Exf. MMt) modified graphite paste sensor (MGPS), showed excellent electrochemical performance with a high electroactive surface area (0.68 cm2), and low resistivity (75.0 Ω). Under standard conditions, the sensor achieved a low detection limit of 0.009 nM (linearity range: 0.03-1.0 nM), and 0.015 nM (linearity range: 0.05–1.2 nM) in bulk, and spiked soil, respectively. This sensor offers a practical and highly sensitive tool for early detection of glyphosate, supporting environmental safety and sustainable agriculture. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00604-026-07880-4. ## Linked entities - **Chemicals:** glyphosate (PubChem CID 3496) ## Full-text entities - **Diseases:** toxicity (MESH:D064420), endocrine disruption (MESH:D004700), gastrointestinal irritation (MESH:D005767), MGPS (MESH:C564098), Cancer (MESH:D009369), developmental abnormalities (MESH:D006130), skin (MESH:D012871) - **Chemicals:** Cl- (MESH:D002713), GLY (MESH:C010974), HCO3- (MESH:D001639), H3PO4 (MESH:C030242), K+ (MESH:D011188), silica (MESH:D012822), sodium phosphate monobasic (MESH:C018279), Na+ (MESH:D012964), aluminosilicate (MESH:C049037), Al (MESH:D000535), Si (MESH:D012825), 9-fluorenylmethylcloroformate (-), graphene (MESH:D006108), MMt (MESH:D001546), HNO3 (MESH:D017942), 2-MIM (MESH:C032655), potassium hexacyanoferrate (II) (MESH:C031835), KCl (MESH:D011189), acetic acids (MESH:D000085), Zinc (II) nitrate (MESH:C042103), H (MESH:D006859), Al(OH)3 (MESH:D000536), biochar (MESH:C540010), DMF (MESH:D004126), hydroxide (MESH:C031356), Co (MESH:D003035), Co2+ (MESH:D002245), TiO2 (MESH:C009495), boric (MESH:C032688), triethylamine (MESH:C016162), polymers (MESH:D011108), C (MESH:D002244), methylamine (MESH:C027451), MOF (MESH:D000073396), K2HPO4 (MESH:C013216), N2 (MESH:D009584), phosphoric (MESH:D010758), inorganic phosphate (MESH:D010710), paraffin oil (MESH:C015418), Zn (MESH:D015032), smectite (MESH:C033214), O (MESH:D010100), metal (MESH:D008670), MoS2 (MESH:C082964), Au (MESH:D006046), AMPA (MESH:C000710227), NaCl (MESH:D012965), methanol (MESH:D000432), cobalt (II) nitrate (MESH:C025913), silicate (MESH:D017640), polyethylene (MESH:D020959), EtOH (MESH:D000431), NaOH (MESH:D012972), Ag (MESH:D012834), HCl (MESH:D006851), NO3- (MESH:C038619), AgCl (MESH:C037548), copper (MESH:D003300), acetic acid (MESH:D019342), Water (MESH:D014867) - **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Glycine max (soybean, species) [taxon 3847] ## Figures 10 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12975828/full.md --- Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12975828