In-situ generation of highly active and four-in-one CoFe2O4/H2PPOP nanozyme: Mechanism and its application for fast colorimetric detection of Cr (VI)

Abstract

Nanozymes have been widely utilized in colorimetric sensors and developing nanomaterials with multienzyme functions have more application prospects due to their cascaded catalytic efficiency. Here, a unique organic-inorganic nanocomposite CoFe₂O₄/H₂PPOP was synthesized by depositing CoFe₂O₄ nanocubes on a fully conjugated porphyrin-based porous organic polymer (H₂PPOP) in situ. CoFe₂O₄/H₂PPOP revealed outstanding tetra-enzyme-like activities, namely oxidase-like, peroxidase-like, catalase-like and superoxide dismutase-like activities. Compared with pure CoFe₂O₄ nanocubes, the catalytic activities of CoFe₂O₄/H₂PPOP were significantly boosted because of the large surface area and extended conjugated structure of H₂PPOP, abundant active substances (CoFe₂O₄) on the surface and the effective electronic transfer between CoFe₂O₄ and H₂PPOP. Based on the oxidase-like activity of CoFe₂O₄/H₂PPOP, a colorimetric platform was constructed for Cr (VI) with a wide linear range (0.6-100 μM) and a low detection limit (26 nΜ). Further utilizing the double oxidase-like and peroxidase-like activities, a more sensitive colorimetric platform with a faster detection speed for Cr (VI) was realized with the LOD as low as 2 nΜ. This work opens up a new way to prepare multi-enzyme active nanozyme and excavates its potential for detecting environmental pollutants.

Keywords: Chromium (VI); Colorimetric sensor; Organic-inorganic nanocomposite; Porphyrin; Tetra-enzyme mimetic.