CoN Nanowires: Noble-Metal-Free Peroxidase Mimetic with Excellent Salt- and Temperature-Resistant Abilities.

Compared to natural enzymes, nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes have attracted immense attention because of their high stability and cost-effectiveness. In this study, cobalt nitride (CoN) as a noble-metal-free artificial enzyme exhibiting highly intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and good stability was reported. Kinetic studies revealed that the resultant CoN nanowires (NWs) exhibited a stronger affinity for 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and HO than HRP. Compared to CoO NWs, CoN NWs exhibited highly improved catalytic activities, with HO exhibiting an apparent K approximately 2 orders of magnitude less than that of CoO. In particular, the peroxidase-like activity of CoN was maintained well over a wide range of temperatures and ionic strength. A CoN-based method was further developed for the detection of glucose with good sensitivity and reliability. Because of advantages such as easy storage, cost-effectiveness, high sensitivity, and outstanding stability, CoN NWs demonstrate the potential for replacing noble-metal-based peroxidase mimetics in a wide range of promising applications.