Iridium(III) Complex Functionalized ZIF-8 as Novel POD-like Nanozyme for Visual Assay of Triazine Pesticides

Abstract

Due to the unique advantages of mimicking nature enzymes, nanozyme has received ever-growing interests in wide fields including analytical chemistry in the past two decades. Exploring novel kinds of nanozyme with efficient active sites is always one of the most important and hot topics in nanozyme-related research so far, especially in portable monitor . Herein, organometallic iridium(III) complex as new active site incorporated into zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) denoted as Irppy-ZIF-8 via one-pot coordination reaction between iridium solvent complex and 2-methylimidazole was reported as an efficient peroxidase (POD)-like nanozyme in this work. Importantly, due to the specific inhibition effects of triazine pesticides on the POD-like activities of this novel nanozyme, a portable acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-free colorimetric sensor via smartphone apart from UV-vis spectrometer to detect triazine pesticides in the real vegetable samples analysis was further successfully proposed in this work. It should be noted that this work could not only open up a new avenue to explore novel kinds of nanozymes from organometallic complex as active sites, but also promote the advanced progresses in the emerging applications of nanozymes in visual and portable sensors in the future.