One-step solvothermal synthesis of Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O nanocomposite as magnetically recyclable mimetic peroxidase

Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O nanocomposite was prepared by a simple and facile one-step solvothermal method and characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS and XPS techniques. The Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O nanocomposite showed peroxidase-like activity, it could catalyze the oxidation of typical peroxidase substrates, o-phenylenediamine (OPDA) and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). A simple colorimetric method for the detection of H2O2 could be established based on the intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of the Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O nanocomposite. In addition, the Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O nanocomposite displayed good separation ability, stability and reusability, which could be easily separated from the reaction system by an external magnet and reused for the next round of reaction without significant decrease of its catalytic activity. We expect that the as-prepared Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O nanocomposite may have the potential to replace natural peroxidase in the fields of catalysis, green chemistry, biosensors, environmental monitoring and protection. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.