A CoOOH nanoflake-based light scattering probe for the simple and selective detection of uric acid in human serum

As a major metabolic product of purine nucleotides, uric acid (UA) usually presents in urine and serum, which is closely related to human health. With the catalysis by uricase, uric acid can yield allantoin, CO2 and H2O2. Then, the produced H2O2 is able to decompose CoOOH nanoflakes into Co2+, resulting in a smaller size with weakened light scattering. This work provides a simple and selective light scattering method for UA analysis with a linear range from 1.0 × 10−5 to 1.0 × 10−3 M and a detection limit of 1.0 × 10−6 M. In addition, this method has been successfully applied to the determination of UA in human serum samples with similar results to clinical methods.