What are inorganic nanozymes? Artificial or inorganic enzymes

Abstract

The research on inorganic nanozymes remains very active since the first paper on the “Intrinsic peroxidase-like properties of ferromagnetic nanoparticles” was published in Nature Nanotechnology in 2007. However, there is still the question, “What are the inorganic nanozymes?” Inorganic nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like activities were not generated from artificial synthesis processing. The unique architecture of the metal site in inorganic nanomaterials contributes to the specificity and catalytic behavior described by the classic Michaelis–Menten equation, just like an enzyme (protein) or ribozyme (RNA), and as supported by density functional theory calculations. The discovered inorganic nanozymes participate in many key biological catalysis processes, especially related to oxygen. Possibly, they were essential to the emergence of life before RNAs and proteins, and they still play a crucial role in our daily lives, especially from the view of biogeochemistry. These inorganic nanozymes are classified as “inorganic enzymes”, in line with the existing classifications of enzymes (proteins) and ribozymes (RNAs) as biocatalysts. By drawing inspiration from the metal architecture in nanomaterials, scientists can design artificial biocatalysts or functionalized nanozymes that are more stable and specific. It is necessary to pursue research to utilize inorganic nanozymes in the current biomedical applications and comprehend how they impact our Earth's environment.