Noble metal-enhanced Au@CuO heterostructure with multienzyme-mimicking activities for colorimetric detection of tannic acid

Nanozymes, serving as synthetic alternatives to natural enzymes, offer several benefits including cost-effectiveness, enzyme-like catalytic abilities, enhanced stability, adjustable catalytic activity, easy recyclability, mild reaction conditions, and environmental friendliness. Nonetheless, the ongoing quest to develop nanozymes with enhanced activity and to delve into the catalytic mechanism remains a challenge. In our research, we effectively developed Au@CuO nanocomposites (Au@CuO Nc), replicating the functions of four enzymes found in nature: peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and oxidase (OXD). The catalytic efficiency of Au@CuO Nc for TMB oxidation (oxTMB) was approximately 4.8 times greater than that of plain Cu