Nanoscale Thermocatalysis: Mechanisms, Regulation, and Biomedical Applications

Thermal-driven catalysis has emerged as a promising interdisciplinary field that integrates thermal science, catalysis, nanotechnology, and biomedicine by utilizing thermal energy as a driving force for catalytic reactions. Unlike conventional catalytic systems, thermal-driven catalysis exploits temperature gradients, thermal fluctuations, or localized heating to induce charge separation, accelerate reaction kinetics, and regulate interfacial redox processes. This review systematically summarizes the fundamental mechanisms of thermoelectric catalysis, pyroelectric catalysis, and thermo-enhanced catalytic reactions, with particular emphasis on the role of nanoscale heat transport and non-Fourier thermal behavior in thermal energy conversion. Recent advances in material engineering strategies, including defect engineering, heterojunction engineering, phase engineering, morphology engineering, interface engineering, and emerging approaches such as entropy, spin, and single-atom engineering, are comprehensively discussed. Furthermore, representative biomedical applications, including photothermal and plasmonic nanomedicine, pyroelectric catalysis, thermoelectric catalysis, and thermally regulated catalytic systems, are highlighted in the contexts of antibacterial therapy, tumor treatment, biosensing, and tissue engineering. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives regarding material design, energy-conversion efficiency, mechanistic understanding, and clinical translation are discussed. This review provides a comprehensive overview of thermal-driven catalysis and offers insights into the development of next-generation catalytic platforms for advanced biomedical applications.