Light-Empowered Rapid Reaction Switch for Enhancing the Accuracy of Colorimetric Assay Achieved by Biomass-Derived Photonanozymes
摘要
Precise control over reaction progression is crucial for enhancing the reliability of nanozyme-based colorimetric assays, yet conventional quenching methods often suffer from operational complexity, signal interference, or environmental contamination. To address this limitation, we synthesized photo-responsive graphene quantum dots (GQDs) derived from waste tea biomass. These GQDs exhibit oxidase-mimicking activity exclusively under light irradiation, while the catalytic activity ceases immediately in the dark, enabling real-time modulation of the reaction via simple light switching. Leveraging this light-tunable catalytic system, we discovered that D-penicillamine (DPA) acts as an effective reducing agent, quenching the photo-generated reactive oxygen species and leading to a measurable decrease in colorimetric signal. An accurate and rapid colorimetric sensing platform was developed for DPA detection, exhibiting a broad linear response range from 0.5 to 265 µM and a detection limit as low as 0.34 µM. Successful application in determining DPA content in commercial tablets confirms the potential of the proposed light-controlled nanozymatic reaction switch for practical use.