FeMo2Ox(OH)y-based mineral hydrogels as a novel POD nanozyme for sensitive and selective detection of aromatic amines contaminants via a colorimetric sensor array

Developing convenient pathways to discriminate and identify multiple aromatic amines (AAs) remains fascinating and critical. Here, a novel three-channel colorimetric sensor array based on FeMo2Ox(OH)y-based mineral (FM) hydrogels is successfully constructed to monitor AAs in tap water. Benefiting from the substantial oxygen vacancies (VO), FM nanozymes exhibit extraordinary peroxidase (POD)-like activities with Km of 0.133 mM and Vmax of 2.518 × 10−2 mM·s−1 toward 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), which are much better than horseradish peroxidase and most of POD mimics. This reveals that doping Cu and Co into FM (FM-Cu and FM-Co) can change POD activity. Based on various POD activities, TMB and H2O2 are used to generate fingerprint colorimetry signals from the colorimetry sensor array. The analytes can accurately discriminate through linear discriminant analysis, with a detection limit as low as 2.12 × 10−2–0.14 μM. The sensor array can effectively identify and discriminate AA contaminants and their mixtures and has performed well in real sample tests. [Display omitted] •A mineral hydrogel (M-gel) is fabricated with high peroxidase (POD)-like activity.•Doping metal ions can change POD activity of M-gels by varying oxygen defects.•A sensors array based on M-gels shows high sensitivity and selectivity for analytes.