Defect-rich graphene stabilized atomically dispersed Cu3 clusters with enhanced oxidase-like activity for antibacterial applications

Nanozyme has attracted great attention due to its diverse enzymatic catalytic activities. But there are still challenges in constructing novel nanozyme with robust catalytic activity. Here, we report an atomically dispersed and fully exposed Cu-3 cluster stabilized on defect-rich nanodiamond-graphene hybrid support (Cu-3/ND@G) with unique active adsorption sites, which benefit the adsorption and cleavage of O-2, resulting in enhanced oxidase-like and antibacterial activity. The catalytic rate constant of Cu-3/ND@G (K-cat = 1.474 x 10(-1) s(-1)) is higher than those of previously reported copper single atom oxidase mimics (0.5 x 10(-3) s(-1)) and even the commercial Pt/C mimics (1.01 x 10(-2) s(-1)). DFT calculation revealed that the atomically dispersed Cu-3 cluster as active center significantly improves the oxidase-like activity, attributing to the easy dissociation of O-2 into reactive oxygen species (center dot OH). The atomically dispersed Cu-3 cluster with an antibacterial rate of 100% in the NaAc buffer presents its potential application in the field of antibacterial materials.

Automated summary

A novel atomically dispersed Cu-3 cluster stabilized on a defect-rich nanodiamond-graphene hybrid support, Cu-3/ND@G, exhibits enhanced oxidase-like and antibacterial activity with a higher catalytic rate constant compared to previous copper single atom oxidase mimics. The atomically dispersed Cu-3 cluster shows potential applications in antibacterial materials.