Discovery of FeP/Carbon Dots Nanozymes for Enhanced Peroxidase-Like Catalytic and Antibacterial Activity

Abstract

Iron phosphide/carbon (FeP/C) serving as electrocatalysts exhibit excellent activity in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) process. H₂O₂ catalyzed by peroxidase (POD) is similar to the formation of new electron transfer channels and the optimization of adsorption of oxygen-containing intermediates or desorption of products in ORR process. However, it is still a challenge to discover FeP/C with enhanced POD-like catalytic activity in the electrocatalytic database for biocatalysis. The discovery of FeP/carbon dots (FeP/CDs) nanozymes driven by electrocatalytic activity for enhanced POD-like ability is demonstrated. FeP/CDs derived from CDs-Fe³⁺ chelates show enhanced POD-like catalytic and antibacterial activity. FeP/CDs exhibit enhanced POD-like activities with a specific activity of 31.1 U mg⁻¹ that is double higher than that of FeP. The antibacterial ability of FeP/CDs nanozymes with enhanced POD-like activity is 98.1%. The antibacterial rate of FeP/CDs nanozymes (250 µg mL⁻¹) increased by 5%, 15%, and 36% compared with FeP, Fe₂O₃/CDs, and Cu₃P/CDs nanozymes, respectively. FeP/CDs nanozymes will attract more efforts to discover or screen transition metal phosphide/C nanozymes with enhanced POD-like catalytic activity for biocatalysis in the electrocatalytic database.