Superior peroxidase mimetic activity of carbon dots-Pt nanocomposites relies on synergistic effects

Composite structures based on synergistic effects are perfect candidates to explore efficient functional materials. So far, metal-carbon dots composites have not been used as peroxidase mimetics. Herein, we report a carbon dots-Pt nanocomposite which was synthesized by a simple method. Due to the synergistic effects between carbon dots and Pt, the catalytic efficiency of the composite was nine times and five times higher than those of carbon dots and Pt respectively. The production of active oxygen species ((OH)-O-center dot) by H2O2 decomposition was responsible for the oxidation of TMB. On this basis, carbon dots-Pt nanoparticles were used successfully for visual and colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose. The detections of H2O2 and glucose are in a linear range from 2.5 x 10(-6) to 1 x 10(-3) mol L-1 and 5 x 10(-6) to 5 x 10(-3) mol L-1, respectively, with the detection limit down to 8 x 10(-7) mol L-1 H2O2 and 1.67 x 10(-6) mol L-1 glucose.