A cheaper substitute for HRP: ultra-small Cu–Au bimetallic enzyme mimics with infinitesimal steric hindrance to promote catalytic lateral flow immunodetection of clenbuterol†

A highly sensitive lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) is developed for the enzyme-catalyzed and double-reading determination of clenbuterol (CLE), in which a new type of probe was adopted through the direct electrostatic adsorption of ultra-small copper–gold bimetallic enzyme mimics (USCGs) and monoclonal antibodies. In the assay, based on the peroxidase activity of USCG, the chromogenic substrate TMB–H₂O₂ was introduced to trigger its color development, and the results were compared with those before catalysis. The detection sensitivity after catalysis is 0.03 ng mL⁻¹ under optimal circumstances, which is 6-fold better than that of the traditional Au NPs-based LFIA and 2-fold greater than that before catalysis. This approach was successfully applied to the detection of CLE in milk, pork and mutton samples with an optimum assay time of 7 min and best catalytic time of 80 s, after which satisfactory recoveries of 98.53–117.79% were obtained. Cu–Au nanoparticles as a signal tag and the use of their nanozyme properties are the first applications in the field of LFIA. This work can be a promising exhibition for the application of a cheaper substitute for HRP, ultra-small bimetallic enzyme mimics, in LFIAs.