Catalytic Nanomaterials toward Atomic Levels for Biomedical Applications: From Metal Clusters to Single-Atom Catalysts

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) featuring the complete atomic utilization of metal, high-efficient catalytic activity, superior selectivity, and excellent stability have been emerged as a frontier in the catalytic field. Recently, increasing interests have been drawn to apply SACs in biomedical fields for enzyme-mimic catalysis and disease therapy. To fulfill the demand of precision and personalized medicine, precisely engineering the structure and active site toward atomic levels is a trend for nanomedicines, promoting the evolution of metal-based biomedical nanomaterials, particularly biocatalytic nanomaterials, from nanoparticles to clusters and now to SACs. This review outlines the syntheses, characterizations, and catalytic mechanisms of metal clusters and SACs, with a focus on their biomedical applications including biosensing, antibacterial therapy, and cancer therapy, as well as an emphasis on their in vivo biological safeties. Challenges and future perspectives are ultimately prospected for SACs in diverse biomedical applications.

Automated summary

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as a frontier in the catalytic field due to their advantages in metal utilization, catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability, with increasing interests in applying them in biomedical fields. Precision engineering the structure and active site towards atomic levels is a trend for nanomedicines, promoting the evolution of metal-based biomedical nanomaterials from nanoparticles to clusters and now to SACs.