BSA-stabilized Pt nanozyme for peroxidase mimetics and its application on colorimetric detection of mercury(II) ions

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is chosen as the nucleation templates to synthesize Pt-based peroxidase nanomimetics with the average diameter of 2.0nm. The efficient Pt nanozymes consist of 57% Pt(0) and 43% Pt(2+), which possess highly peroxidase-like activity with the Km values of 0.119mM and 41.8mM toward 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), respectively. Interestingly, Hg(2+) is able to down-regulate the enzymatic activity of Pt nanoparticles, mainly through the interactions between Hg(2+) and Pt(0). It is the first report to explore a colorimetric Hg(2+) sensing system on the basis of peroxidase mimicking activities of Pt nanoparticles. One of our most intriguing results is that BSA-stabilized Pt nanozymes demonstrate the ability to sense Hg(2+) ions in aqueous solution without significant interference from other metal ions. The Hg(2+) detection limit of 7.2nM is achieved with a linear response range of 0-120nM, and the developed sensing system is potentially applicable for quantitative determination of Hg(2+) in drinking water.