A facile route for constructing Cu-N-C peroxidase mimics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Catalysis

Background:

• Natural enzymes face limitations in stability and cost.
• Nanozymes offer a promising alternative, mimicking enzyme functions.
• Single-atom catalysts (SACs) provide maximum atomic efficiency for nanozyme development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, efficient synthesis method for single-atom nanozymes.
• To investigate the catalytic activity of the synthesized nanozymes.
• To establish a sensitive detection platform for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and glucose.

Main Methods:

• A one-pot solvothermal approach was employed for synthesizing Cu-N-C single-atom nanozymes (Cu-N-C SAzymes).
• The peroxidase-mimicking activity of Cu-N-C SAzymes was evaluated.
• A detection method for H2O2 and glucose was established utilizing the nanozymes' activity.

Main Results:

• Cu-N-C SAzymes were successfully synthesized using a simplified one-pot method.
• The synthesized nanozymes demonstrated superior peroxidase-mimicking activity compared to other nanoparticles.
• Reactive oxygen species generation was confirmed as the mechanism for H2O2 catalysis.

Conclusions:

• The one-pot solvothermal synthesis offers an efficient route to advanced single-atom nanozymes.
• Cu-N-C SAzymes exhibit enhanced catalytic performance, surpassing natural enzymes in certain aspects.
• The developed nanozyme-based platform provides a sensitive and simple method for H2O2 and glucose detection.