Mixed-solvent liquid exfoliated MoS2 NPs as peroxidase mimetics for colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose

Ultra-small molybdenum disulfide nanoparticles (MoS2 NPs) were prepared by a facile liquid exfoliation method with ethanol/water as the solvent. The produced MoS2 NPs were of high purity due to the easily removable ethanol/water solution. The prepared MoS2 NPs exhibited an intrinsic peroxidase-like activity in analogy to that of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). A custom-made spectrometer was employed to investigate the peroxidase-like activity of MoS2 NPs in the presence of H2O2 and glucose. The change in absorption detected from MoS2 NPs is proportional to the amount of target. The calibration curve of H2O2 and glucose shows a good relationship between the concentration of target and the change in the absorption of MoS2 NPs. The limit of detection of H2O2 and glucose achieved by this method could approach 1.25 μM and 7 μM respectively. This method has been applied for the detection of glucose in serum from humans. Therefore, these produced MoS2 NPs offer an alternative high-efficiency and economic way to detect diabetes.