Polymer-Assisted Engineering of Copper Peroxide Nanozymes with Enhanced Laccase-like Activity for Sensing...

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Nanozymes offer enzyme alternatives but face challenges in activity and stability.
• Surface functionalization of nanomaterials can enhance catalytic properties and stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer copper peroxide (CP) nanodots with enhanced laccase-like nanozyme activity via surface modulation.
• To investigate the impact of polymer scaffold properties on CP nanodot performance.
• To explore applications in biomarker detection and sensor development.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of CP nanodots stabilized by five different polymers with varying surface charges and hydrophobicity.
• Evaluation of laccase-like nanozyme activity through biochemical assays.
• Development of sensor arrays for neurotransmitter and antibiotic detection.

Main Results:

• Cationic polymer-functionalized CP nanodots exhibited a 10-fold higher laccase-like activity than natural laccase.
• Catalytic activity was attributed to optimized surface-substrate interactions and copper electrophilicity.
• Developed sensor arrays detected antibiotics with a limit of detection as low as 100 nM.

Conclusions:

• Surface modulation of CP nanodots is a viable strategy for designing high-performance nanozymes.
• Functionalized CP nanodots show promise for sensitive detection of neurotransmitters and antibiotics.
• This approach offers insights for developing advanced nanozyme-based diagnostic tools.