Uniformly distributed ruthenium nanocrystals as highly efficient peroxidase for hydrogen peroxide colorimetric detection and nitroreductase for 4-nitroaniline reduction

Abstract

Here, we report highly dispersed small ruthenium nanoparticles (NPs) anchored onto a porous carbon (Ru/PC) with a clean catalytic surface and explore their excellent peroxidase-like activity for 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine oxidation mediated by H₂O₂, which allows sensitive colorimetric detection of H₂O₂ with a low detection limit of 3.8 μM. Moreover, it is also found that the Ru/PC has a high nitroreductase-like activity for 4-nitroaniline reduction triggered by NaBH₄.