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Defect-rich Ce-Zr-O solid-solution nanozymes with phosphatase activity for selective phosphate sensing
Juliana Gaithan Kauno1, Haili Wei2, Shiyu Xia2
1State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Chemistry Department, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O.BOX 35061, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Researchers developed a new method using defect-rich cerium-zirconium oxide (Ce-Zr-O) nanozymes for highly sensitive and specific detection of phosphate ions (PO43-). This advancement offers a reliable platform for analyzing phosphate levels in biological fluids like urine.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Phosphate ions (PO43-) are crucial for biological processes, but elevated levels (hyperphosphatemia) signal health issues like chronic kidney disease.
- Accurate and convenient phosphate analysis is essential for diagnosing and monitoring such conditions.
- Existing nanozyme-based detection methods often suffer from low catalytic activity and non-specific inhibition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, highly specific, and efficient nanozyme-based sensing platform for phosphate ion detection.
- To address limitations of current nanozymes, such as low catalytic activity and non-specific inhibition.
- To create a cost-effective and reliable method for phosphate analysis in biological samples.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized defect-rich polycrystalline Ce-Zr-O nanozymes using a solid-solution strategy.
- Engineered nanozymes with abundant oxygen vacancies and structural heterogeneity to enhance phosphatase-like activity.
- Exploited the specific binding of phosphate ions to Zr sites, causing selective inhibition of catalytic activity for fluorometric detection.
Main Results:
- Developed uniform Ce-Zr-O nanozymes with controllable size and morphology.
- Achieved synergistic enhancement of Lewis acid catalysis and nucleophilic hydrolysis due to defect engineering.
- Demonstrated a fluorometric phosphate assay with high selectivity and sensitivity, achieving a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.061 nM.
- Successfully measured phosphate levels in urine samples.
Conclusions:
- The defect-engineering strategy provides a generalizable method for creating advanced Ce-Zr-O nanozymes.
- The developed Ce-Zr-O nanozyme platform offers a reliable, interference-resistant biosensing solution for biological fluids.
- This work advances nanozyme applications in clinical diagnostics and biochemical analysis.
