Nanozymes with Multiple Activities: Prospects in Analytical Sensing

Abstract

Given the superiorities in catalytic stability, production cost and performance tunability over natural bio-enzymes, artificial nanomaterials featuring enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes) have drawn extensive attention from the academic community in the past decade. With these merits, they are intensively tested for sensing, biomedicine and environmental engineering. Especially in the analytical sensing field, enzyme mimics have found wide use for biochemical detection, environmental monitoring and food analysis. More fascinatingly, rational design enables one fabrication of enzyme-like materials with versatile activities, which show great promise for further advancement of the nanozyme-involved biochemical sensing field. To understand the progress in such an exciting field, here we offer a review of nanozymes with multiple catalytic activities and their analytical application prospects. The main types of enzyme-mimetic activities are first introduced, followed by a summary of current strategies that can be employed to design multi-activity nanozymes. In particular, typical materials with at least two enzyme-like activities are reviewed. Finally, opportunities for multi-activity nanozymes applied in the sensing field are discussed, and potential challenges are also presented, to better guide the development of analytical methods and sensors using nanozymes with different catalytic features.

Recent progress in nanozyme-based sensors for ion detection: strategies, trends, and challenges

“…As a result, more variables that could have an impact on the sensing system need to be investigated, and a more stable and dependable nanozyme sensing system has to be developed. 14…”

“…11,12 This attractive feature makes them intensively employed as alternatives to natural enzymes or catalytic labels in various biochemical analyses. [13][14][15][16][17] Figure 1. Principles for ion detection based on nanozyme catalysis.…”

“…11,12 This attractive feature makes them intensively employed as alternatives to natural enzymes or catalytic labels in various biochemical analyses. [13][14][15][16][17] As a typical example of analytical applications, various nanozymes have been explored to establish methods for toxic ion detection. Currently, there are mainly four principles developed to monitor ions based on nanozyme catalysis (Fig.…”

“…11,12 This attractive feature makes them intensively employed as alternatives to natural enzymes or catalytic labels in various biochemical analyses. 13–17…”

Biosensor Constructs for the Monitoring of Persistent Emerging Pollutants in Environmental Matrices

“…The second path is materials hybridization to obtain nanozymes with multiple activities under the same conditions. 147 For NBS development, regarding the device configuration, the main microfabrication techniques employed are the physical vapor deposition of different metals, photolithography, the chemical wet-etching method, and the anodic bonding process. 117 The NBS only measures the byproducts generated, the degradation of the nanozyme, or the loss of catalytic activity once the target molecule comes in contact with the surface atoms of the nanozyme and the sensor (employed for the detection of toxic ions and pesticides).…”