Peroxidase-like activity of MoS2 quantum dots can be manipulated by aggregation/dispersion in the presence of Fe3+ or a mix of Fe3+ and pyrophosphate (PPi). Based on this finding, a simple and reliable method for colorimetric PPi detection is developed.

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Precisely regulating the catalytic activity of nanozymes is of great significance for their applications in sensing, biomedicine, etc. In this work, the peroxidase-like activity of MoS 2 quantum dots (QDs) is controlled by regulating their aggregation or disaggregation in aqueous solution. Specifically, monodispersed MoS 2 QDs show very weak peroxidase-like activity. Fe 3+ ions can induce significant aggregation of MoS 2 QDs in aqueous solution and thus greatly enhance their activity. However, the drug deferiprone that commonly used for thalassaemia treatment can selectively bind with Fe 3+ via complexation, thus inhibiting the aggregation of MoS 2 QDs and their enhancement of enzyme-like activity. Based on this mechanism, a new colorimetric method for the detection of deferiprone is developed and further successfully applied to the quality control of drug. Moreover, with the aid of photographing and chroma analysis by a smartphone, a smartphone-based analytical method for deferiprone is also established, which is expected to be extended to point-of-care testing and diagnosis.

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