Facile synthesis of zinc-based Prussian blue analogue (Zn-PBAs) for supercapacitor and biomedical applications

Zinc-based Prussian blue analogues (Zn-PBAs) are emerging as versatile materials, showcasing remarkable potential in both energy storage and biomedical fields. Synthesized through co-precipitation, these materials exhibit a highly crystalline single-phase structure with polyhedron morphology that enhances their functionality. Electrochemical analysis reveals pseudo capacitive behavior with an impressive specific capacitance of 68 F/g, and excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, achieving a low overpotential of 320 mV and a Tafel slope of 70 mV/dec in KOH electrolyte solution. A prototype device powered by Zn-PBAs ran a hygrometer and red LEDs. Additionally, Zn-PBAs exhibit significant biomedical properties, including antibacterial activity against Gram-negative pathogenic bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro, where they stabilize cell membranes by reducing red blood cell lysis. They also demonstrate the ability to stabilize Human Red Blood Cell (HRBC) membranes, achieving 74.53 % inhibition compared to the standard drug, diclofenac sodium, which showed 83.54 % inhibition. Furthermore, Zn-PBAs enhanced glucose absorption by 8.6 %, with glucose uptake levels increasing from 8.55 % to 81.58 %, compared to the standard drug metronidazole, which ranged from 15.65 % to 88.74 % at concentrations of 10 μg/mL to 80 μg/mL. This ability to enhance glucose metabolism suggests Zn-PBAs as promising candidates for the diabetes management. Overall, the findings highlight Zn-PBAs as promising candidates for diverse applications in both energy storage and biomedicine.