Synthesis of Os@ZIF-8 nanocomposites with enhanced peroxidase-like activity for detection of Hg2+

Metal organic framework (MOF)-derived nanostructures display remarkable characteristics and have broad application potential. Os@ZIF-8 nanocomposites were prepared by a depositional method. The Os nanoparticles distributed on the surface of ZIF-8. The nanocomposites displayed enhanced peroxidase-like activity with smaller Km for both 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H2O2 compared to Os NPs due to the confinement effect and large surface area that ZIF-8 provided. From the average reaction rate constants obtained from three different temperatures, the activation energy values were determined. The kinetic data indicated that the Os@ZIF-8 NCs are catalytically more active than Os NPs. In addition, quantitative measurement of Hg2+ was performed based on the formation of Os–Hg alloy. Os@ZIF-8 NCs had a wide detection range between 0 μM and 71.43 μM for Hg2+ with a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.29 μM. Using a MOF with a large surface area to load Os nanoparticles to achieve enhanced nanozyme activity is the novelty of this work.