PA-Tb-Cu MOF as luminescent nanoenzyme for catalytic assay of hydrogen peroxide

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with flexible structures and components have aroused great interest in designing functional materials. In this work, we designed and made a kind of PA-Tb-Cu MOF nanoenzyme capable of emitting fluorescence for the catalytic reaction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Luminescent Tb3+, catalytic Cu2+ and bridging ligand were assembled and integrated into a single material nanoenzyme. This PA-Tb-Cu MOF nanoenzyme not only possessed excellent catalytic activity comparable to horseradish peroxidase but also can real-time fluorescently indicate the concentration of H2O2 as low as 0.2µM during catalysis. Luminescent PA-Tb-Cu MOF nanoenzyme did not need a common combined use of natural/artificial enzymes and chromogenic reactions for the quantification of H2O2 in widely-used enzyme-catalytic reactions. The present strategy assembled directly from functional ions/molecules provides a new way for the design and development of smart, multifunctional artificial enzymes for wide applications in biocatalysis, bioassays and nano-biomedicine. [Display omitted] •A luminescent Tb-MOF nanoenzyme was designed and made for the catalytic reaction of H2O2.•This nanoenzyme is highly catalytic and can real-time indicate the concentration of H2O2 luminescently.•A new assay of H2O2 to replace a common combined use of natural enzymes and chromogenic reagents.•Tb3+-based luminescent nanoenzyme is impervious to autofluorescence of biosystems.