Electrochemical Assembly of Nickel Metal Organic Framework-Decorated Nanoimprinted Gold Dendrites as Peroxidase Mimic for High-Performance Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing

Hybrid nanomaterials with distinct properties and morphologies when clubbed within a sensor matrix can generate a synergistic effect on molecular sensing. In this work, creation of such nanohybrid platform has been attempted for rapid detection of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), which has tremendous role in area of medical diagnostics. Conventionally, the peroxidase (POD) enzyme catalyzes H 2 O 2; however, it is prone to inherent chemical and thermal instabilities reducing the overall stability and shelf life of sensor probe. A possible solution for this problem has been attempted in this work where a nonenzymatic peroxidase mimic nanohybrid probe comprising gold nanodendrites (AuND), nickel metal organic framework (Ni-MOF), and hydrazine has been synergistically deployed for rapid detection of H 2 O 2 . The developed sensor probe has been rigorously characterized through various characterization techniques, including scanning probe microscopy (SPM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX-mapping), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The probe demonstrated impressive analytical performance, possessing a linear dynamic range (LDR) between 1 × 10 –8 M and 1 × 10 –15 M and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.34 (±0.05) × 10 –15 M. The probe’s average response time with changing H 2 O 2 concentrations was 5.02 ± 0.42 s, making it an agile sensing platform for H 2 O 2 detection. The nanohybrid probe displayed minimal response toward interferants such as superoxide radicals, ascorbic acid, cysteine, glucose, alanine, and citric acid, which usually coexist in a real sample matrix. In order to investigate the real-life applicability of the developed sensor probe, a real sample analysis involving synthetic serum was adopted, which yielded a current recovery between 90.20 and 94.14%. The probe fabrication time and on-chip synthesis procedure are facile, making it a robust and efficient sensing platform for H 2 O 2 free radicals in clinical settings.