Guided Synthesis of a Mo/Zn Dual Single-Atom Nanozyme with Synergistic Effect and Peroxidase-like Activity

We present a facile route towards a dual single-atom nanozyme composed of Zn and Mo, which utilizes the non-covalent nano-assembly of polyoxometalates, supramolecular coordination complexes as the metal-atom precursor, and a macroscopic amphiphilic aerogel as the supporting substrate. The dual single-atoms of Zn and Mo have a high content (1.5 and 7.3 wt%, respectively) and exhibit a synergistic effect and a peroxidase-like activity. The Zn/Mo site was identified as the main active center by X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and density functional theory calculation. The detection of versatile analytes, including intracellular H₂ O₂ , glucose in serum, cholesterol, and ascorbic acid in commercial beverages was achieved. The nanozyme has an outstanding stability and maintained its performance after one year's storage. This study develops a new peroxidase-like nanozyme and provides a robust synthetic strategy for single-atom catalysts by utilizing an aerogel as a facile substrate that is capable of stabilizing various metal atoms.