Revealing the intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic mechanism of O-doped CoS2 nanoparticles

Shufeng Liang; Tingyu Chen; Yun Zhao; Yali Ren; Miaomiao Li; Dongtao Lu; Junhao Wang; Yan Dai; Yujing Guo

doi:10.1039/d3nr02496b

Revealing the intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic mechanism of O-doped CoS₂ nanoparticles

Nanoscale. 2023 Aug 25;15(33):13666-13674. doi: 10.1039/d3nr02496b.

Authors

Shufeng Liang^{1

2}, Tingyu Chen³, Yun Zhao³, Yali Ren¹, Miaomiao Li¹, Dongtao Lu¹, Junhao Wang⁴, Yan Dai¹, Yujing Guo¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Environmental Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China. ydai@sxu.edu.cn.
² Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030013, China.
³ School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510000, China.
⁴ Institute of Crystalline Materials, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.

PMID: 37551931
DOI: 10.1039/d3nr02496b

Abstract

CoS₂ nanoparticles (NPs) have shown promise as potential peroxidase (POD)-like catalysts, but the catalytic molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Moreover, no study has adequately explored the influence of O-doping induced by the inevitable oxidation of CoS₂ on their POD-like activity. Here, O-doped CoS₂ NPs were prepared by a one-step method, and their intrinsic POD-like catalytic mechanism was investigated with a combined experimental and theoretical approach. The hydroxyl radical (˙OH) and the superoxide radical (O₂˙^-) have been found to play significant roles in the POD-like activity, and ˙OH is the major radical. The O-doping could reduce the transition-state energy barrier of H₂O₂ dissociation, thus promoting the decomposition of H₂O₂ to ˙OH and inducing the formation of O₂˙^-. Therefore, O-doping is an effective method for enhancing the catalytic activity of CoS₂ NPs. Furthermore, due to the excellent oxidation property of ˙OH and O₂˙^-, this nanozyme exhibited efficient catalytic activity towards the degradation of organic dyes with H₂O₂. This manuscript provides a new inspiration for designing more promising anion-defective transition-metal sulfide nanozymes for different applications.