Autofluorescence-free optical strategy for detection of H2O2 based on persistent luminescence probes

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) not only is widely used in industrial processes but also participates in many biological reactions. However, excessive levels cause great harm to the human body. Here, we designed a sensitive and autofluorescence-free persistent luminescence (PL) method for H2O2 detection based on persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) and specific chemical reaction. In this approach, manganese dioxide (MnO2) shell was coated on the surface of PLNPs to construct detection probe PLNPs@MnO2. The quenched PL of the PLNPs@MnO2 could be turned on by H2O2, and the restored PL was positively correlated with H2O2 in a certain concentration range. The developed method was linear in the range of 0–5 μmol/L with a detection limit of 0.079 μmol/L in solution and a linear response range of 0–1000 μmol/L for naked-eye detection on flat plates. Therefore, the detection system is suitable not only for the traditional solution state but also for naked eye detection on a flat plate, allowing for rapid inspection on site in resource-limited areas. The applicability of the developed method was demonstrated by analyzing bottled purified water, milk and contact lens solution samples for H2O2 with the recoveries of 90.56% to 109.73%.