Single-atom nanozymes with peroxidase-like activity: A review

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Catalysis
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Single-atom nanozymes (SANs) feature atomically dispersed active sites, offering tunable catalytic activity and stability.
• Their uniform structure facilitates investigation of structure-activity correlations and control of metal center properties.
• SANs are explored in photo-, thermal-, and electro-catalysis, but face challenges in efficiency and mimicking natural enzymes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in single-atom nanozymes (SANs) functioning as peroxidase mimics.
• To elucidate the role of the metal center in the enzymatic activity of SANs.
• To discuss the prospects and limitations of SANs in real-world applications.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of single-atom nanozymes (SANs) research.
• Analysis of studies focusing on SANs as peroxidase mimics.
• Exploration of the structure-activity relationships in SANs.

Main Results:

• SANs exhibit significant potential as artificial peroxidase mimics.
• The metal center's coordination and electronic structure are crucial for catalytic activity.
• Current SANs have limitations in mimicking complex enzyme structures and require further development for biosafety.

Conclusions:

• Single-atom nanozymes (SANs) are promising for generating reactive oxygen species, with applications in cancer therapy and water treatment.
• Further research is needed to overcome limitations in efficiency, enzyme mimicry, and biosafety for broader real-time applications.
• Understanding the metal center's role is key to designing more effective SANs.