The accurate identification of multiple proteins and effective eradication of bacteria hold paramount importance for clinical diagnosis and oral disease prophylaxis. Although molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanomaterials possess exceptional physicochemical properties that offer distinct advantages in bioanalysis and antibacterial fields, their low photogenerated carrier mobility and limited active site density have restricted their widespread application. Herein, we report the synthesis of Fe-doped MoS2 (Fe-MoS2) nanomaterials via a facile one-step solvothermal method. The incorporation of Fe preserved the two-dimensional layered structure of MoS2 while provoking a morphological transformation into irregular dendritic nanostructures. The resulting Fe-MoS2 demonstrated superior peroxidase-like activity with a higher affinity for H2O2 compared with both natural horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and other nanozymes. More intriguingly, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) ligands enabled precise tuning of the catalytic activity of Fe-MoS2 in a base- and length-dependent manner. Leveraging this tunability, we constructed a colorimetric sensor array using polycytosine (C6/C15/C45)-functionalized Fe-MoS2, which discriminated eight proteins with high precision and good sensitivity, successfully distinguished binary mixtures, and accurately identified proteins in human urine samples. In addition, Fe-MoS2 exhibited excellent photothermal properties that synergistically enhanced its peroxidase-mimicking activity under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. Based on this dual functionality, Fe-MoS2 achieved near-total eradication of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and 90% clearance of its biofilm. This work presents Fe-MoS2 as a bifunctional nanoplatform for biomedical diagnostics and oral therapy, highlighting its potential in precision medicine and infectious disease management.
Cao et al. (2026) studied this question.