Summary: | Being superior to natural enzymes, nanoenzymes are drawing a great deal of attention in the field of biosensing. Herein, we developed an ultrasensitive, stable and selective colorimetric assay having dual functionalities of Au-tipped Pt nanorods (NRs). The optical and catalytic properties of Au-tipped Pt NRs were monitored using a spectrophotometer and the chromogenic substrate 3, 3′, 5, 5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, respectively. We found that Au-tipped Pt NRs exhibited excellent peroxidase-like activity, which decomposed hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) into oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>). The produced O<sub>2</sub> oxidized the chromogenic substrate into a blue color product. The oxidation rate of the chromogenic substrate could be monitored using a spectrophotometer at 652 nm. Notably, the peroxidase-like activity of Au-tipped Pt NRs decreased in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA). The produced O<sub>2</sub> preferentially reacted with AA, generating ascorbyl radicals (AA·) instead of oxidizing TMB, and thereby decreased the oxidation rate of TMB. Based on this inhibitory property, a selective colorimetric assay was developed using Au-tipped Pt NRs for the detection of AA. This work offers a novel detection method for AA.
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