High surface area nitrogen-functionalized Ni nanozymes for efficient peroxidase-like catalytic activity

PLoS One. 2021 Oct 12;16(10):e0257777. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257777. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Nitrogen-functionalization is an effective means of improving the catalytic performances of nanozymes. In the present work, plasma-assisted nitrogen modification of nanocolumnar Ni GLAD films was performed using an ammonia plasma, resulting in an improvement in the peroxidase-like catalytic performance of the porous, nanostructured Ni films. The plasma-treated nanozymes were characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, and XPS, revealing a nitrogen-rich surface composition. Increased surface wettability was observed after ammonia plasma treatment, and the resulting nitrogen-functionalized Ni GLAD films presented dramatically enhanced peroxidase-like catalytic activity. The optimal time for plasma treatment was determined to be 120 s; when used to catalyze the oxidation of the colorimetric substrate TMB in the presence of H2O2, Ni films subjected to 120 s of plasma treatment yielded a much higher maximum reaction velocity (3.7⊆10-8 M/s vs. 2.3⊆10-8 M/s) and lower Michaelis-Menten coefficient (0.17 mM vs. 0.23 mM) than pristine Ni films with the same morphology. Additionally, we demonstrate the application of the nanozyme in a gravity-driven, continuous catalytic reaction device. Such a controllable plasma treatment strategy may open a new door toward surface-functionalized nanozymes with improved catalytic performance and potential applications in flow-driven point-of-care devices.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Ammonia / chemistry
  • Antioxidants / chemistry
  • Biocatalysis
  • Catalysis
  • Colorimetry
  • Coloring Agents / chemistry
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nickel / chemistry
  • Nitrogen / chemistry*
  • Oxidation-Reduction / drug effects
  • Oxygen / chemistry
  • Peroxidase / chemistry*
  • Photoelectron Spectroscopy
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Coloring Agents
  • Ammonia
  • Nickel
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Peroxidase
  • Nitrogen
  • Oxygen

Grants and funding

A.L.E. acknowledges funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ RGPIN 2015-04538, RGPIN-2020-05368 K.D.H. acknowledges funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ RGPIN-2016-05858 No funder had any role in the research or manuscript.