Valence electron modulation strategy in high–entropy alloy nanozyme with cold-adapted properties integrated with mobile APP for detecting antioxidants in cold-chain transportation of beverages

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Vol. 446; p. 138711
• Main Authors: Li, Jie, Ma, Yu, Han, Qing, Zheng, Xingna, Ru, Yi, Li, Yongxin, Huang, Hui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.01.2026
• Subjects: Cold-adapted properties; Cold-chain monitoring; High-entropy alloy nanozyme; Mobile APP; Cold-chain monitoring; High-entropy alloy nanozyme; Cold-adapted properties; Mobile APP
• ISSN: 0925-4005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2025.138711

The continuous monitoring of food quality in refrigerated environments has been a subject of considerable research interest. High-entropy alloys (HEAs) show great potential in extreme environments owing to their unique thermodynamic characteristics and synergistic performance enhancements derived from multi-element compositions. Herein, a lower temperature (170 ℃) synthetic strategy was developed for the preparation of high-entropy alloy nanozyme (HEAzyme). The study demonstrates that the HEAzyme exhibits cold-adapted peroxidase-like activity, maintaining comparable catalytic efficacy at 4 ℃ and 20 ℃, and exhibiting 69.9 % efficiency even at −20 ℃. This cold-adapted activity is attributable to the incorporation of Ce element with a variable oxidation state (Ce3 +/Ce4+), which endows metals with multivalent electron transfer ability while forming a synergistic catalytic center with other metals. A mobile APP was developed to assist in detecting antioxidant content during cold-chain transportation (4 ℃), greatly simplifying the testing process. [Display omitted] •Rational selection of five metals in HEAzyme.•HEAzyme with excellent cold-adapted peroxidase-like activity.•Development of mobile APP for point-of-care and on-site detection.•Food quality monitoring in cold-chain environments.