Mimicking Horseradish Peroxidase Functions Using Cu2+-Modified Carbon Nitride Nanoparticles or Cu2+-Modified Carbon Dots as Heterogeneous Catalysts

Cu2+-functionalized carbon nitride nanoparticles (Cu2+-g-C3N4 NPs), similar to 200 nrn, and Cu2+-carbon dots (Cu2+-C-dots), similar to 8 nm, act as horseradish peroxidase-mimicking catalysts. The nanoparticles catalyze the generation of chemiluminescence in the presence of luminol/H2O2 and catalyze the oxidation of dopamine by H2O2 to form aminochrome. The Cu2+-g-C3N4-driven generation of chemiluminescence is used to develop a H2O2 sensor and is implemented to develop a glucose detection platform and a sensor for probing glucose oxidase. Also, the Cu2+-C-dots are functionalized with the beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) receptor units. The concentration of dopamine, at the Cu2+-C-dots' surface, by means of the beta-CD receptor sites, leads to a 4-fold enhancement in the oxidation of dopamine by H2O2 to yield aminochrome compared to that of the unmodified C-dots.