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Updated: Jul 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: Engineering Molecular Tools for Disease Detection and Imaging
Published on: December 8, 2023
Multifunctional Ni-NPC Single-Atom Nanozyme for Removal and Smartphone-Assisted Visualization Monitoring of Carbamate
Xu Xu1, Muyao Ma1, Jiaxin Gao1,2
1College of Chemistry, Liaoning University, No. 66 Chongshan Middle Road, Shenyang 110036, China.
Abstract:
A multifunctional single-atom nanozyme, denoted as 3D Ni,N-codoped porous carbon (Ni-NPC), was devised that exhibits remarkable adsorption capabilities and a repertoire of enzyme mimetic functions (oxidase- and peroxidase-like). These attributes stem from the distinctive mesoporous thin-shell structure and well-dispersed Ni sites. The efficient adsorption capacity of Ni-NPC was assessed with respect to three carbamate pesticides (CMPs): metolcarb, carbaryl, and isoprocarb. Moreover, a colorimetric detection method for CMP was established based on its robust peroxidase-like catalytic activity and sequential catalytic interactions with acetylcholinesterase. Furthermore, a portable colorimetric sensor based on a hydrogel sphere integrated with a smartphone platform was devised. This sensor enables rapid, on-site, and quantitative assessment of CMP, boasting an extraordinarily low detection limit of 1.5 ng mL-1. Notably, this sensor was successfully applied to the analysis of CMP levels in lake water and vegetable samples (pakchoi and rape), propelling the progress of real-time detection technologies in food and environment monitoring.

