Fabrication of a hierarchical PtIr@Rh hollow trimetallic nanozyme with a higher specific activity than that of HRP for sensitive colorimetric detection

Abstract

Nanozymes have emerged as promising alternatives to natural enzymes in various fields, owing to their advantages in terms of stability, cost-effectiveness, and multifunctionality. However, their relatively low catalytic activity compared to natural enzymes remains a major challenge for practical applications. Here, we developed hierarchical PtIr@Rh hollow trimetallic nanorods, where Rh served as the substrate and the surface was decorated with numerous Pt nanoparticles doped with a small amount of Ir. The resulting nanorods exhibited remarkable peroxidase-like activity, with a specific activity of 2287 U mg⁻¹, surpassing that of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Additionally, the maximum reaction velocity (V_max) was 1.024 × 10⁻⁶ M s⁻¹, and the Michaelis–Menten constant (K_m) was 1.706 mM. The enhanced catalytic performance was attributed to the unique hierarchical structure and the small amount of Ir doping, as supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The PtIr@Rh nanozyme was successfully applied for the colorimetric detection of L-ascorbic acid, achieving a rapid detection with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.12 μM. This study introduces a novel nanozyme with superior specific activity compared to natural enzymes, highlighting its potential for colorimetric sensing applications.