Evaluation of peroxidase mimicking activity of ultrathin silver nanowire-intercalated 2D-Ti3C2 MXene hybrid

Abstract

The advancement of nanomaterials with improved peroxidase (POD)-like activity via rationally designed is of great significance in both biological and artificial catalysis fields. In this work, MXene–NH₂ (Ti₃C₂T_x-NH₂) was synthesized by etching and delamination of MAX phase (Ti₃AlC₂) using LiF/HCl (form in situ HF) and followed by amination under the hydrothermal approach. Then, the MXene–NH₂–AgNWs were obtained through the chemical interaction between amine moieties (–NH₂) on the MXene surface and silver nanowires (AgNWs). Compared to the natural enzyme (horseradish peroxidase), the MXene–NH₂–AgNWs nanocomposite exhibited improved peroxidase-like catalytic activity toward 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) oxidation. The observed result can be attributed to the MXene–NH₂–AgNWs nanocomposite, which enhanced the affinity for H₂O₂ and the TMB, suggesting its promising potential alternative for peroxidase mimics studies. The remarkable peroxidase-like activity of MXene–NH₂–AgNWs is attained due to being closely accompanied by the distinctive-layered structure of MXene and the synergistic effects between the AgNWs and MXene–NH₂ structure which enhances reaction kinetics. As a result, we expect that further research into the application of the synthesized catalyst might bring prospective benefits mimicking enzyme catalysis.