A template-free assembly of Cu,N-codoped hollow carbon nanospheres as low-cost and highly efficient peroxidase nanozymes

Analyst. 2022 Nov 21;147(23):5419-5427. doi: 10.1039/d2an01488b.

Abstract

Developing carbon-based materials with high catalytic performance and sensitivity has significance in low-cost and highly efficient nanozymes. Herein, for the first time, Cu,N-codoped hollow carbon nanospheres (CuNHCNs) with highly active Cu-Nx sites were successfully assembled through a template-free strategy, in which Cu2+-poly(m-phenylenediamine) (Cu-PmPD) nanospheres were utilized as the source of Cu, N and C. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the hollow spherical structure and optimized composition, the CuNHCN exhibits high affinity for 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine and H2O2 with 0.0655 mM and 0.918 mM, respectively, which are superior to those of HRP and most metal-based nanozymes. Moreover, by employing glucose and ascorbic acid (AA) as biomolecule models, a CuNHCN-based colorimetric detection platform is developed. The CuNHCN exhibits superior peroxidase mimicking activity and sensitivity in detecting glucose and AA with a detection limit of 0.187 μM and 68.9 nM (S/N = 3), respectively. Also, the colorimetric detection based on the CuNHCN towards glucose and AA in human serum presents superior practicability and accuracy. The assay provides a new avenue for designing and fabricating low-cost peroxidase nanozymes with high performance in bioassays.

MeSH terms

  • Carbon / chemistry
  • Colorimetry
  • Copper / chemistry
  • Glucose
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / chemistry
  • Nanospheres* / chemistry
  • Nitrogen / chemistry
  • Peroxidase* / chemistry
  • Peroxidases / chemistry

Substances

  • Carbon
  • Glucose
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Peroxidase
  • Peroxidases
  • Copper
  • Nitrogen