Synthesis of dual function Fe3O4@MnO2@HKUST-1 magnetic micromotors for efficient colorimetric detection and degradation of hydroquinone

Herein, we demonstrate a novel Fe3O4@MnO2@HKUST-1 magnetic micromotor with excellent peroxidase-like activity for highly efficient colorimetric detection and degradation of hydroquinone. Such micromotors had unique flower-like morphology with highly exposed active sites. The resulting MnO2-based micromotor was propelled by O2 bubbles generated from hydrogen peroxide fuel catalyzed by MnO2, and the velocity could be adjusted by the H2O2 fuel concentration. The self-propelled motion of the Fe3O4@MnO2@HKUST-1 could effectively increase the collision probability between active sites and pollutant molecules, and thus, enhanced the sensitivity of the colorimetric detection as well as the degradation efficiency. These excellent results confirm that this Fe3O4@MnO2@HKUST-1 micromotor has good prospects for future use in water treatment applications.