Green synthesis of Au@WSe₂ hybrid nanostructures with the enhanced peroxidase-like activity for sensitive colorimetric detection of glucose

We report a colorimetric method for glucose detection based on Au nanoparticle-decorated WSe₂ (Au@WSe₂) hybrid nanostructures. These hybrid structures are easily synthesized by simply stirring HAuCl₄ precursor with WSe₂ nanosheets in aqueous solution. Owing to strong synergistic catalytic effects of Au nanoparticles and WSe₂ nanosheets, the Au@WSe₂ hybrid nanostructures exhibit enhanced peroxidase-like activity (about 2-fold higher compared to WSe₂ nanosheets alone) for 3, 3', 5, 5'-tetramethylbenzidine oxidation by H₂O₂. Based on the highly catalytical property, the colorimetric method for glucose detection is established by coupling glucose oxidase (GOx). The detection limit of glucose is 3.66 μM. Moreover, the proposed colorimetric method is applicable to glucose detection in serum samples and is promising for applications in biomedical fields.