Perspectives for Single-Atom Nanozymes: Advanced Synthesis, Functional Mechanisms, and Biomedical Applications

Anal Chem. 2021 Jan 26;93(3):1221-1231. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04084. Epub 2020 Dec 28.

Abstract

Single-atom nanozymes (SANs) are one of the newest generations of nanozymes, which have been greatly developed in the past few years and exploited widely for many applications, such as biosensing, disease diagnosis and therapy, bioimaging, and so on. SANs, possessing dispersed single-atom structures and a well-defined coordination environment, exhibit remarkable catalytic performance with both high activity and stability. In this paper, the most recent progress in SANs is reviewed in terms of their advanced synthesis, characterization, functional mechanisms, performance validation/optimization, and biomedical applications. Several technical challenges hindering practical applications of SANs are analyzed, and possible research directions are also proposed for overcoming the challenges.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomedical Research*
  • Biomimetic Materials / chemistry*
  • Biosensing Techniques*
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*