Peroxidase mimicking DNAzymes degrade graphene oxide.

DNAzymes made of supramolecular guanine-rich G-quadruplexes and hemin are attracting a lot of interest due to their peroxidase activity mimicking the natural enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Herein, we demonstrate that DNAzyme consisting of a PS2.M-hemin complex can be an alternative to natural HRP for the oxidation and degradation of graphene oxide (GO). The degradation of GO sheets was carried out by incubating the PS2.M-hemin complex in the presence of hydrogen peroxide for 30 days. The degradation of GO has been confirmed using transmission electron microscopy and 2d Raman mapping. The current study suggests that the peroxidase activity of DNAzymes is similar to HRP and DNAzymes are able to degrade carbon-based nanomaterials.