316 stainless steel wire mesh for visual detection of H2O2, glutathione and glucose based on the peroxidase-like activity

Stainless steel is a frequently used and cost-effective material. In this study, we discovered for the first time that fresh 316ss possessed an intrinsic peroxidase (POD) catalytic activity, which can catalyze the substrate of POD-like reaction 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) changing to a blue-colored product, oxidation of TMB, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Subsequently, a rapid method was conducted to enable the active composites of the 316ss with reused POD activity for 25 circles at least. Based on this finding, the method exhibits a highly sensitive and selective application for H2O2, glutathione (GSH), and Glucose determination. The linear range of glucose detection was 5-100 μM and the detection limit was 3 μM. Finally, this method was further used for detection of glucose in human serum. This work finds a new function of 316ss and develops its novel application, which promotes the potential application of nanozyme in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Schematic representation of the enzyme mimic activities of 316ss wire mesh for the colorimetric detection of hydrogen peroxide H2O2 and GSH with a superior reusability for more than 25 cycles. Based on this, the colorimetric detection of glucose can be constructed combined with GOx.