Nanozymes for biomedical applications: Multi-metallic systems may improve activity but at the cost of higher toxicity?

Nanozymes are nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like activity with selected advantages over native enzymes such as simple synthesis, controllable activity, high stability, and low cost. These materials have been explored as surrogates to natural enzymes in biosensing, therapeutics, environmental protection, and many other fields. Among different nanozymes classes, metal- and metal oxide-based nanozymes are the most widely studied. In recent years, bi- and tri-metallic nanomaterials have emerged often showing improved nanozyme activity, some of which even possess multifunctional enzyme-like activity. Taking this concept even further, high-entropy nanomaterials, that is, complex multicomponent alloys and ceramics like oxides, may potentially enhance activity even further. However, the addition of various elements to increase catalytic activity may come at the cost of increased toxicity. Since many nanozyme compositions are currently being explored for in vivo biomedical applications, such as cancer therapeutics, toxicity considerations in relation to nanozyme application in biomedicine are of vital importance for translation. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Toxicology of Nanomaterials Diagnostic Tools > Diagnostic Nanodevices.

A surface molecularly imprinted microfluidic paper based device with smartphone assisted colorimetric detection for butachlor in mung bean

A microfluidic paper chip colorimetric detection system based on surface molecular imprinting of zinc ferrite nanoparticles was established, and the detection images were obtained by smartphone for gray value analysis and determination of butachlor. The best functional monomers and addition ratio were selected by quantum chemical simulation calculation, the properties of the prepared molecularly imprinted polymers were analyzed, and the detection conditions were optimized. The linear range, sensitivity, and selectivity of the method were evaluated. The results showed that under the optimum conditions, the concentration of 2-80 ng/g had a good linear relationship (R2 is 0.9953), the detection limit was 1.43 ng/g, the specificity was good, and the whole detection process did not exceed 20 min. The microfluidic paper chip was applied to detect butachlor in mung bean samples. The results showed that the recovery was 93.4-106.4 %, and the relative standard deviation was less than 5.6 %.

Synthesis, characterization, and preliminary insights of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles into potential applications, with a focus on gas sensing

This work presents a hydrothermal-based facile method for synthesizing ZnFe2O4, whose size can be controlled with the concentration of sodium acetate used as a fuel and its physical changes at nanoscales when exposed to two different gases. The structural, morphological, compositional, and electronic properties of the synthesized samples are also presented in this paper. The crystal structure of the synthesized samples was determined using an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD). The results revealed fluctuations in the size, lattice parameter, and strain in the nanoparticles with increasing the concentration of sodium acetate. Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) was used to determine synthesized materials' morphology and particle size. It revealed that the particles possessed approximately spherical morphology whose size decreased significantly with the increasing amount of sodium acetate. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) was utilized to determine the structure, morphology, and elemental distributions in particles at the nanoscale, and it confirmed the findings of XRD and FESEM analyses. The high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) imaging analysis of the nanoparticles in our studied samples revealed that the particles predominantly possessed (001) type facets. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and core-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) showed an increasing fraction of Fe2+ with the decreasing size of the particles in samples. The Brunauer, Emmett, and Tellers (BET) analysis of samples revealed a higher surface area as the particle size decreases. In addition, the determined surface area and pore size values are compared with the literature, and it was found that the synthesized materials are promising for gas-sensing applications. The ab initio calculations of the Density of States (DOS) and Band structure of (001) surface terminating ZnFe2O4 were carried out using Quantum Espresso software to determine the bandgap of the synthesized samples. They were compared to their corresponding experimentally determined bandgap values and showed close agreement. Finally, in-situ TEM measurement was carried out on one of the four studied samples with robust properties using Ar and CO2 as reference and target gases, respectively. It is concluded from the presented study that the size reduction of the ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) tunes the bandgap and provides more active sites due to a higher concentration of oxygen vacancies. The in-situ TEM showed us a nanoscale observation of the change in one of the crystal structure parameters. The d spacing of ZnFe2O4 NPs showed a noticeable fluctuation, reaching more than 5% upon exposure to CO2 and Ar gases.

Recent Progress in Spinel Ferrite (MFe2O4) Chemiresistive Based Gas Sensors

Gas-sensing technology has gained significant attention in recent years due to the increasing concern for environmental safety and human health caused by reactive gases. In particular, spinel ferrite (MFe2O4), a metal oxide semiconductor with a spinel structure, has emerged as a promising material for gas-sensing applications. This review article aims to provide an overview of the latest developments in spinel-ferrite-based gas sensors. It begins by discussing the gas-sensing mechanism of spinel ferrite sensors, which involves the interaction between the target gas molecules and the surface of the sensor material. The unique properties of spinel ferrite, such as its high surface area, tunable bandgap, and excellent stability, contribute to its gas-sensing capabilities. The article then delves into recent advancements in gas sensors based on spinel ferrite, focusing on various aspects such as microstructures, element doping, and heterostructure materials. The microstructure of spinel ferrite can be tailored to enhance the gas-sensing performance by controlling factors such as the grain size, porosity, and surface area. Element doping, such as incorporating transition metal ions, can further enhance the gas-sensing properties by modifying the electronic structure and surface chemistry of the sensor material. Additionally, the integration of spinel ferrite with other semiconductors in heterostructure configurations has shown potential for improving the selectivity and overall sensing performance. Furthermore, the article suggests that the combination of spinel ferrite and semiconductors can enhance the selectivity, stability, and sensing performance of gas sensors at room or low temperatures. This is particularly important for practical applications where real-time and accurate gas detection is crucial. In conclusion, this review highlights the potential of spinel-ferrite-based gas sensors and provides insights into the latest advancements in this field. The combination of spinel ferrite with other materials and the optimization of sensor parameters offer opportunities for the development of highly efficient and reliable gas-sensing devices for early detection and warning systems.

Photocatalytic Evaluation and Application as a Sensor for the Toxic Atmospheres (Propane and Carbon Monoxide) of Nickel Antimonate (NiSb2O6) Powders

Nickel antimonate (NiSb₂O₆) powders were synthesized using a wet chemistry process assisted by microwave radiation and calcination from 600 to 700 °C to evaluate their photocatalytic and gas-sensing properties. The crystalline phase obtained at 800 °C of trirutile-type nickel antimonate was confirmed with powder X-ray diffraction. The morphology and size of the nanostructures were analyzed employing electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), identifying irregular particles and microrods (~277 nm, made up of polyhedral shapes of size ~65 nm), nanorods with an average length of ~77 nm, and nanostructures of polyhedral type of different sizes. UV-vis analysis determined that the bandgap of the powders obtained at 800 °C was ~3.2 eV. The gas sensing tests obtained a maximum response of ~5 for CO (300 ppm) at 300 °C and ~10 for C₃H₈ (500 ppm) at 300 °C. According to these results, we consider that NiSb₂O₆ can be applied as a gas sensor. On the other hand, the photocatalytic properties of the antimonate were examined by monitoring the discoloration of malachite green (MG) at five ppm. MG concentration monitoring was carried out using UV-visible spectroscopy, and 85% discoloration was achieved after 200 min of photocatalytic reaction.

TiO2-In-MIL-101(Cr) with Visible Light-Induced Peroxidase Activity for Colorimetric Detection of Blood Glucose

In this work, metal-organic framework MIL-101(Cr) with regular morphology, stable structure, and good dispersion was prepared by the hydrothermal method. MIL-101(Cr) has two different sizes of pores, but after TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were in situ prepared, the two pores disappear. The result demonstrates that TiO2 NPs were located in the pores of MIL-101(Cr). TiO2-decorated MIL-101(Cr) forms an inside type II heterojunction and the band gap energy is narrowed, which can promote electron-hole separation and enhance the light absorption. Therefore, the heterojunction shows a high visible light-induced peroxidase-like activity. Kinetic studies exhibit that the K m value of TiO2-in-MIL-101(Cr) to TMB is 0.17 mM, and the affinity of TiO2-in-MIL-101(Cr) is higher than that of natural horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Then, a "turn-on" colorimetric assay based on TiO2-in-MIL-101(Cr) was constructed for the detection of blood glucose. The detection range is 1-100 μM (R 2 = 0.9950) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.17 μM. Compared with the clinical method, the constructed colorimetric method has accurate and reliable results for the clinical detection. The anti-interference experiment confirms that the method has high selectivity to glucose.

A ZnFe2O4-catalyzed segment imprinted polymer on a three-dimensional origami paper-based microfluidic chip for the detection of microcystin

Microcystin has been causing serious environmental pollution; however, the recognition of such compounds is still challenging because of low abundance and coexisting interfering species. In this contribution, we develop a novel microfluidic paper-based colorimetric sensor by exploiting molecular imprinting technology and Fenton reaction for on-site microcystin-RR determination in complex water samples using a smartphone.

DiZyme: Open-Access Expandable Resource for Quantitative Prediction of Nanozyme Catalytic Activity

Enzymes suffer from high cost, complex purification, and low stability. Development of low-cost artificial enzymes of comparative or higher effectiveness is desired. Given its complexity, it is desired to presume their activities prior to experiments. While computational approaches demonstrate success in modeling nanozyme activities, they require assumptions about the system to be made. Machine learning (ML) is an alternative approach towards data-driven material property prediction achieving high performance even on multicomponent complex systems. Despite the growing demand for customized nanozymes, there is no open access nanozyme database. Here, a user-friendly expandable database of >300 existing inorganic nanozymes is developed by data collection from >100 articles. Data analysis is performed to reveal the features responsible for catalytic activities of nanozymes, and new descriptors are proposed for its ML-assisted prediction. A random forest regression (RFR) model for evaluation of nanozyme peroxidase activity is developed and optimized by correlation-based feature selection and hyperparameter tuning, achieving performance up to R²  = 0.796 for K_cat and R²  = 0.627 for K_m . Experiment-confirmed unknown nanozyme activity prediction is also demonstrated. Moreover, the DiZyme expandable, open-access resource containing the database, predictive algorithm, and visualization tool is developed to boost novel nanozyme discovery worldwide (https://dizyme.net).

An Environmentally Friendly Method for Removing Hg(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and Sn(II) Heavy Metals from Wastewater Using Novel Metal–Carbon-Based Composites

Rapid economic and industrial development and population growth have made water contamination a serious environmental problem and a major threat to public health worldwide. Heavy metals are extensively used in numerous industrial applications and are some of the most important environmental contaminants. The impacts of heavy metals on the health of humans, animals, and plants make their removal from wastewater and water resources an important and vital issue. In this study, a simple and environmentally friendly method is proposed for the synthesis of a ZnFe2O4-carbon nanotube (CNT) adsorbent material. SEM/EDX analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) are used to characterize the synthesized adsorbent material. We test the synthesized adsorbent material’s ability to recover four heavy metals (Hg(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and Sn(II) ions) from an aqueous solution. We show that crushing fullerene CNTs with the ZnFe2O4 composite improves the adsorption properties of free fullerene CNTs towards the investigated heavy metal ions by 25%.

A GGA + U investigation into the effects of cations on the electromagnetic properties of transition metal spinels

Spinel oxides are promising low-cost catalysts with manifold and controllable physicochemical properties. Trial and error strategies cannot achieve the effective screening of high-performance spinel catalysts. Therefore, unraveling the structure–performance relationship is the foundation for their rational design. Herein, the effects of cations in tetrahedral and octahedral sites on the electronic structures of spinels were systematically investigated using GGA + U calculations based on ACr₂O₄ (A = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn) and Zn/LiB₂O₄ (B = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni). The results indicate that the octahedrally coordinated B cations have notable influence on the electronic structures of spinels. The Jahn–Teller active ions Fe²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mn³⁺, Ni³⁺, Cr⁴⁺ and Fe⁴⁺ can remarkably reduce the band gaps of spinels and even change their electroconductibilities. These results will provide theoretical insights into the electronic properties of 3d transition metal spinels.

Jahn–Teller active ions Fe²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mn³⁺, Ni³⁺, Cr⁴⁺ and Fe⁴⁺ can effectually regulate the electronic structures of transition metal spinels.

Green synthesis of platinum nanoclusters using lentinan for sensitively colorimetric detection of glucose

The sensitive colorimetric detection of glucose using nanomaterials has been attracting considerable attention. To improve the detection sensitivity, highly stable lentinan stabilized platinum nanoclusters (Pt-LNT NCs) were prepared, in which lentinan was employed as a mild reductant and stabilizer. The size of platinum nanoclusters (Pt NCs) was only 1.20 ± 0.29 nm. Pt-LNT NCs catalyzed the oxidation of substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) to produce a blue oxidation product with absorption peak at 652 nm, indicating their peroxidase-like properties. Their enzymatic kinetics followed typical Michaelis-Menten theory. In addition, fluorescence experiments confirmed their ability to efficiently catalyze the decomposition of H₂O₂ to generate •OH, which resulted in the peroxidase-like mechanism of Pt-LNT NCs. Moreover, a colorimetric method for highly selective and sensitive detection of glucose was established by using Pt-LNT NCs and glucose oxidase. The linear range of glucose detection was 5-1000 μM and the detection limit was 1.79 μM. Finally, this method was further used for detection of glucose in human serum and human urine. The established colorimetric method may promote the development of biological detection and environmental chemistry in the future.

Spinel-Type Materials Used for Gas Sensing: A Review

Demands for the detection of harmful gas in daily life have arisen for a period and a gas nano-sensor acting as a kind of instrument that can directly detect gas has been of wide concern. The spinel-type nanomaterial is suitable for the research of gas sensors because of its unique structure. However, the existing instability, higher detection limit, and operating temperature of the spinel materials limit the extension of the spinel material sensor. This paper reviews the research progress of spinel materials in gas sensor technology in recent years and lists the common morphological structures and material sensitization methods in combination with previous works.

A nanocomposite of NiFe2O4-PANI as a duo active electrocatalyst toward the sensitive colorimetric and electrochemical sensing of ascorbic acid

A non-enzymatic ascorbic acid sensor using a nickel ferrite/PANI (NF-PANI) nanocomposite and based on colorimetric and electrochemical sensing methods was investigated in this study. The nanocomposite was prepared by an in situ polymerization and utilized as an electrocatalyst to sense ascorbic acid (AA) through the peroxidase mimic sensing of H₂O₂ in the presence of 3,5,3,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as a coloring agent. It was also utilized to detect AA present in real samples prepared from fruit extracts, commercial beverages, and vitamin-C tablets. The limit of detection (LoD) for AA sensing by the peroxidase mimic method was found to be 232 nM. The relative standard deviation (RSD) calculated for analysis of the real samples analysis ranged from 1.7-3.2%. Similarly, the electrochemical sensing of AA by NF-PANI was examined by cyclic voltammetric, chronoamperometric, and differential pulse voltammetric analyses. The LoD for the electrochemical method applied to AA sensing was 423 nM. The nanocomposite functioned as an effective electrocatalytic sensing agent in both methods to selectively detect AA due to the combined effect of NF and PANI. Thus, it was shown that the nanocomposites could be utilized for the laboratory-based detection of AA by various methods and could give rapid results.

Photocatalytic performance of visible active boron nitride supported ZnFe2O4 (ZnFe2O4/BN) nanocomposites for the removal of aqueous organic pollutants

ZnFe₂O₄/BN nanocomposites were synthesized using  solvothermal method. The microscopic images revealed uniform dispersion of ZnFe₂O₄ nanospheres on the surface of BN nanosheets. PL studies showed lower e⁻/h⁺ pair recombination.  ZnFe₂O₄/9.3% BN showed outstanding photocatalytic activity.

Enzyme mimetic activities of spinel substituted nanoferrites (MFe2O4): A review of synthesis, mechanism and potential applications

Recently, the intrinsic enzyme-like activities of some nanoscale materials known as "nanozymes" have become a growing area of interest. Nanosized spinel substituted ferrites (SFs) with general formula of MFe₂O₄, where M represents a transition metal, are among a group of magnetic nanomaterials attracting researchers' enormous attention because of their excellent catalytic performance, biomedical applications and capability for environmental remediation. Due to their unique nanoscale physical-chemical properties, they have been used to mimic the catalytic activity of natural enzymes such as peroxidases, oxidases and catalases. In addition, various nanocomposite materials based on SFs have been introduced as novel artificial enzymes. This review mainly highlights the synthetic approaches for newly developed SF-nanozymes and also the structural/experimental factors that are effective on the kinetics and catalytic mechanisms of enzyme-like reactions. SF-nanozymes have been found potentially capable of being applied in various fields such as enzyme-free immunoassays and biosensors for colorimetric detection of biological molecules. Therefore, the application of SF nanoparticles, as efficient enzyme mimetics have been detailed discussed.

Hierarchical CNFs/MnCo2O4.5 nanofibers as a highly active oxidase mimetic and its application in biosensing

Recently, much attention has been paid on the nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes due to their tunable catalytic activity, high stability and low cost compared to the natural enzymes. Different from the peroxidase mimics which have been studied for several decades, nanomaterials with oxidase-like property are burgeoning in the recent years. In this paper, hierarchical carbon nanofibers (CNFs)/MnCo₂O_4.5 nanofibers as efficient oxidase mimics are reported. The products are synthesized by an electrospinning technique and an electrochemcial deposition process in which the CNFs are used as the working electrode where MnCo₂O_4.5 nanosheets deposit on. The resulting binary metal oxide-based nanocomposites exhibit a good oxidase-like activity toward the oxidations of 3,3',5,5'tetramethylbenzi-dine (TMB), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium (ABTS) salt and o-phenylenediamine (OPD) without exogenous addition of H₂O₂. The system of CNFs/MnCo₂O_4.5-TMB can be used as a candidate to detect sulfite and ascorbic acid via a colorimetric method with a high sensitivity. This work provides the efficient utilization and potential applications of binary metal oxide-based nanocomposites with oxidase activities in biosensors and other biotechnologies.

Fabrication of oxidase-like hollow MnCo2O4 nanofibers and their sensitive colorimetric detection of sulfite and l-cysteine

Hollow MnCo₂O₄ nanofibers as efficient oxidase mimics for sensitive detection of sulfite and l-cysteine have been developed.