ZnFe2O4/GQDs Nanoparticles as Peroxidase Mimics for Sensitive and Selective Colorimetric Detection of Glucose in Real Samples

• Published in: Micromachines (Basel) Vol. 16; no. 5; p. 520
• Main Authors: Cirillo, Claudia, Iuliano, Mariagrazia, Sarno, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 28.04.2025; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Biocompatibility; Carbon; Catalysis; Colorimetry; Cost analysis; Diabetes; enzyme mimic; Enzymes; Glucose; glucose detection; Graphene; Hydrogen peroxide; low detection limit (LOD); Magnetic properties; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Oxidation; Peroxidase; peroxidase-like activity; Quantum dots; Recyclability; Stability; Toxicity; Zinc ferrites; ZnFe2O4/GQDs nanocomposite
• ISSN: 2072-666X; 2072-666X
• DOI: 10.3390/mi16050520

Glucose detection is critical in addressing health and medical issues related to irregular blood levels. Colorimetry, a simple, cost-effective, and visually straightforward method, is often employed. Traditional enzymatic detection methods face drawbacks such as high costs, limited stability, and operational challenges. To overcome these, enzyme mimics or artificial nano-enzymes based on inorganic nanomaterials have garnered attention, but their cost and susceptibility to inactivation limit applications. This study presents a ZnFe2O4/GQDs nanocomposite as an innovative enzyme mimic, addressing key requirements like low cost, high stability, biocompatibility, and wide operational range. Synthesized using a simple and inexpensive method, the composite benefits from the synergistic interaction between ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles and graphene quantum dots (GQDs), resulting in excellent magnetic properties, high surface area, and functional versatility. The material demonstrated remarkable sensitivity with a detection limit of 7.0 μM across a range of 5–500 μM and achieved efficient peroxidase-like activity with Km values of 0.072 and 0.068 mM and Vmax of 4.58 × 10⁻8 and 8.29 × 10⁻8 M/s for TMB and H2O2, respectively. The nanocomposite also exhibited robust recyclability, retaining performance over six reuse cycles.