Carboxylic-group-functionalized single-walled carbon nanohorns as peroxidase mimetics and their application to glucose detection

Carboxylic-group-functionalized single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs-COOH) have been found to possess peroxidase-like activity for the first time. Similar to natural peroxidase, SWCNHs-COOH can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine by H2O2 to produce a blue color solution. Compared with horseradish peroxidase, SWCNHs-COOH exhibit higher activity and stability under harsh reaction conditions. The catalytic activity of SWCNHs-COOH depends on the concentration of H2O2. A colorimetric method for glucose detection was developed by combining the SWCNH-COOH catalytic reaction and the generation of H2O2 by the enzymatic oxidation of glucose with glucose oxidase. Taking into account the advantages of good stability, high biocompatibility in aqueous solutions, being metal-catalyst free, and high purity, SWCNHs-COOH are expected to have potential applications in biotechnology and clinical diagnostics as enzymatic mimics.