A bimetallic synergistic effect-triggered colorimetric sensor for rapid tumor screening

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a crucial signaling molecule in tumor progression.
• Real-time detection of H2O2 is vital for understanding tumorigenesis.
• Existing methods for H2O2 detection may lack the sensitivity or speed required for rapid tumor screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid and sensitive colorimetric sensing platform for tumor screening.
• To leverage the enhanced peroxidase-like activity of a heterostructured h-NiO/CoO/C nanosphere for H2O2 detection.
• To create a smartphone-based tool for semiquantitative analysis of H2O2 levels.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a heterostructured h-NiO/CoO/C nanosphere with enhanced peroxidase-mimicking activity.
• Integration of the nanosphere with a chromogenic reaction for colorimetric H2O2 detection.
• Development of a smartphone application for analyzing color changes and semiquantitative H2O2 determination.

Main Results:

• The h-NiO/CoO/C nanosphere exhibited significantly enhanced peroxidase-mimicking catalytic activity compared to single-metal counterparts.
• A colorimetric sensor was constructed with a detection range of 0.01-2.8 mM and a low limit of detection of 7.5 μM for H2O2.
• A smartphone-based system provided rapid, semiquantitative H2O2 detection, validated by dual strategies.

Conclusions:

• The rational design of heterostructured nanozymes, like h-NiO/CoO/C, can significantly improve catalytic performance for biosensing applications.
• The developed colorimetric sensor offers a rapid, sensitive, and accessible toolkit for tumor screening.
• This work opens new avenues for advanced nanozyme development and point-of-care diagnostics.