Facile Synthesis of Copper Telluride Nanoparticles as a Robust Nanoenzymatic Catalyst for Intrinsic Peroxidase‐Like Activity

Abstract Copper telluride nanoparticles are classified as the family of metal chalcogenides and were synthesized using a simple solvothermal method using a new source of telluride, ditelluride diphenyl. The characterized techniques revealed that the atomic composition of copper tellurides is Cu 2 Te and particles are spherical. This study is greatly examined by different designed experiments for the proof of the intrinsic peroxidase‐like activity of copper telluride nanoparticles and its effectiveness in a variety of similar structures. Cu 2 Te nanoparticles can convert peroxidase substrates (TMB and OPD) to colored products in the presence of H 2 O 2. In addition, the as‐prepared nanoparticles have the potential to oxidize DPPH and ABTS substrates. Michaelis–Menten constant K M value for TMB and H 2 O 2 was found to be 12 mM and 0.60 mM for H 2 O 2 and the V max value of the Cu 2 Te was found to be TMB and H 2 O 2 was 2.50×10 −7 and 0.82×10 −8 MS −1 . These data are found to be almost comparable with natural peroxidase HRP and other artificial enzymes reported in the literature. The natural peroxidase‐like activities of Cu 2 Te nanoparticles originated from the catalytic decomposition of H 2 O 2 into ⋅OH radical, which was confirmed from the ESR spin‐trapping technique and using a fluorescence probe, terephthalic acid.