Heterogenization of Fe ³⁺ Ions on Chiral Carbon Dots With Enhanced Activity and Stability in DOPA Oxidation

ABSTRACT The heterogenization of homogeneous catalysts represents a major research direction in modern green catalysis, as it combines the high activity and selectivity features of molecular catalysts with the high stability and facile recyclability benefits of solid materials. A common drawback in most heterogenized catalyst systems is the significant decrease in catalytic activity compared to their homogeneous counterparts. Herein, we propose a facile strategy to heterogenize Fe ³⁺ ions through coordination with the terminal ─COO ⁻ groups of serine‐derived chiral carbon dots (C‐CDs), forming a heterogeneous catalyst with COO ⁻ ─Fe ³⁺ active sites. The resulting Fe‐CDs exhibit excellent stability across a broad pH range and display markedly enhanced peroxidase‐like catalytic activity toward dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) oxidation by 278.53% in average compared to the homogeneous Fe ³⁺ catalyst. By combining excellent catalytic efficiency with well‐resolved active‐site architectures, the CDs‐based ion‐coordination‐driven transition from homogeneous to heterogeneous catalysis successfully avoids the activity loss commonly linked to catalyst heterogenization.