Controlled synthesis of titanium dioxide/molybdenum disulfide core-shell hybrid nanofibers with enhanced peroxidase-like activity for colorimetric detection of glutathione

Abstract

Synergistic effects play a crucial role in improving the catalytic activity of enzyme-like reactions. The preparation of hybrid nanomaterials for enzyme mimicking that display synergistic enhanced catalytic activity remains a formidable challenge. Titanium dioxide (TiO2)/molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) core-shell hybrid nanofibers were synthesized as efficient peroxidase mimics via a three-step approach involving electrospinning, calcination, and hydrothermal treatment. The resulting TiO2/MoS2 hybrid nanofibers exhibited synergistically enhanced peroxidase-like catalytic activity relative to the TiO2 nanofibers or MoS2 nanosheets alone. Based on the high peroxidase-like activity of the TiO2/MoS2 hybrid nanofibers, a simple colorimetric approach for the detection of l-glutathione (GSH) was developed, with a detection limit as low as 0.05 μM. This study provides a simple and sensitive sensing platform for the detection of GSH, with prospective applications in colorimetric sensing, environmental monitoring, and medical diagnosis.