Synthesis of hierarchical iron hydrogen phosphate crystal as a robust peroxidase mimic for stable H₂O₂ detection

To develop a green, cost-efficient and robust peroxidase mimic, micro/nano hierarchical morphology (for ease of separation and reuse), relative chemically stable composition (for ease of storage) and stable crystal structure (for long-term stability) are highly desired. Herein, using phosphoric acid as a chelating ligand to control the release of iron ions, hierarchical iron(III) hydrogen phosphate hydrate crystals are successfully prepared by nanosheets formation and following self-assembling in a facile low-temperature hydrothermal process. They are first found to have peroxidase-like activity and showed higher affinity for H2O2 and lower affinity for 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine compared with horseradish peroxidase. The affinity feature is used for quantitative detection of H2O2 and shows a wide linear detection range from 57.4 to 525.8 μM (R(2) = 0.994) with a low detection limit of 1 μM. Benefited from chemical stability of hierarchical iron(III) salt crystals, they own good reproducibility (relative standard deviation = 1.95% for 10 independent measurements), long-term stability (no activity loss after 10 cycles), and ease of recovery (by simple centrifugation). Because the method is easily accessible, iron hydrogen phosphate hierarchical crystals have great potential for practical use of H2O2 sensing and detection under harsh conditions.