Catalase Mimic Property of Co₃O₄ Nanomaterials with Different Morphology and Its Application as a Calcium Sensor

The applications of inorganic nanomaterials as biomimetic catalysts are receiving much attention because of their high stability and low cost. In this work, Co₃O₄ nanomaterials including nanoplates, nanorods, and nanocubes were synthesized. The morphologies and compositions of the products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The catalytic properties of Co₃O₄ nanomaterials as catalase mimics were studied. The Co₃O₄ materials with different morphology exhibited different catalytic activities in the order of nanoplates > nanorods > nanocubes. The difference of the catalytic activities originated from their different abilities of electron transfer. Their catalytic activities increased significantly in the presence of calcium ion. On the basis of the stimulation by calcium ion, a biosensor was constructed by Co₃O₄ nanoplates for the determination of calcium ion. The biosensor had a linear relation to calcium concentrations and good measurement correlation between 0.1 and 1 mM with a detection limit of 4 μM (S/N = 3). It showed high selectivity against other metal ions and good reproducibility. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of calcium in a milk sample.