Metal-Support Interactions of Single-Atom Catalysts for Biomedical Applications

Nearly 100% CO Selectivity for CO2 Reduction via Synergistic Engineering of Heteronuclear CuCo Dual Atoms

Monatomic catalysts demonstrate exceptional activity in CO2 hydrogenation for mitigating the greenhouse effect and achieving carbon neutrality goals. However, single-atom catalysts are limited by having only one type of active site, resulting in unsatisfactory activity and selectivity. In this work, a heteronuclear dual-atom catalyst (CuCoDA) is successfully synthesized using a dual-anchoring method and applied to CO2 hydrogenation. The synergistic effect between Cu and Co atoms results in a remarkable CO selectivity of 99.1%, with a CO2 conversion rate of 28.1%. The experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the incorporation of Co into the Cu monatomic catalyst enhances the adsorption of CO2 and H2 on the CuCoDA surface throughout the reaction, thereby significantly promoting CO2 conversion. Simultaneously, the cooperative effect minimizes the adsorption of CO* on the CuCoDA surface and inhibits the formation of *CHO (a key intermediate for methane generation), which suppresses the further hydrogenation of CO2. This results in an extremely high selectivity of CO. This study provides a general strategy for constructing dual-heteronuclear catalysts incorporating multiple metal species and highlights the critical importance of synergistic interactions between adjacent single atoms in the development of advanced catalysts.

Single Atom-Dispersed Silver Incorporated in ZIF-8-Derived Porous Carbon for Enhanced Photothermal Activity and Antibacterial Activities

Purpose

Recently, Single-atom-loaded carbon-based material is a new environmentally friendly and stable photothermal antibacterial nanomaterial. It is still a great challenge to achieve single-atom loading on carbon materials.

Materials and Methods

Herein, We doped single-atom Ag into ZIF-8-derived porous carbon to obtain Ag-doped ZIF-8-derived porous carbon(AgSA-ZDPC). The as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, XPS, FESEM, EDX, TEM, and HAADF-STEM which confirmed that the single-atom Ag successfully doped into the porous carbon. Further, the photothermal properties and antimicrobial activity of AgSA-ZDPC have been tested.

Results

The results showed that the temperature increased by 30 °C after near-infrared light irradiation(1 W/cm2) for 5 min which was better than ZIF-8-derived porous carbon(ZDPC). It also exhibits excellent photothermal stability after the laser was switched on and off 5 times. When the AgSA-ZDPC concentration was greater than 50 µg/mL and the near-infrared irradiation was performed for 5 min, the growth inhibition of S. aureus and E. coli was almost 100%.

Conclusion

This work provides a simple method for the preparation of single-atom Ag-doped microporous carbon which has potential antibacterial application.

Morphological and Coordination Modulations in Iridium Electrocatalyst for Robust and Stable Acidic OER Catalysis

Proton exchange membrane water splitting (PEMWS) technology has high-level current density, high operating pressure, small electrolyzer-size, integrity, flexibility, and has good adaptability to the volatility of wind power and photovoltaics, but the development of both active and high stability of the anode electrocatalyst in acidic environment is still a huge challenge, which seriously hinders the promotion and application of PEMWS. In recent years, researchers have made tremendous attempts in the development of high-quality active anode electrocatalyst, and we summarize some of the research progress made by our group in the design and synthesis of PEMWS anode electrocatalysts with different nanostructures, and makes full use of electrocatalytic activity points to increase the inherent activity of Iridium (Ir) sites, and provides optimization strategies for the long-term non-decay of catalysts under high anode potential in acidic environments. At this stage, these research advances are expected to facilitate the research and technological progress of PEMWS, and providing some research ideas and references for future research on efficient and inexpensive PEMWS anode electrocatalysts.

Addressing the Origin of Single-Atom-Activated Supports Monitored by Electrochemiluminescence

Currently, much attention has been paid to the efforts to stabilize and regulate single atoms through supports to obtain decent electrocatalytic behaviors. However, little concern was given to the effect of single atoms on modulating the electronic structure of supports, despite the catalytic activities and large quantities of supports in the catalytic reactions. Herein, we have localized Ru single atoms onto two-dimensional layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) and studied the role of Ru single atoms in adjusting the electronic structure of the NiFe-LDH support. Spin polarization of 3d electrons for Fe and electron redistribution in NiFe-LDH were effectively modulated through the interaction between Ru single atoms and NiFe-LDH. As a result, the luminol redox reaction and reactive oxygen revolution were simultaneously promoted by Ru single-atom-modulated NiFe-LDH, manifested as boosted electrochemiluminescence (ECL). Therefore, we have provided valid information to reveal the regulation effect of single atoms on the spin state and electronic structure of the supports. It is anticipated that our strategy may arouse wide interest in manipulating single-atom-modulated supports.

Single-atom nanozymes: From bench to bedside

Single-atom nanozymes (SANs) are the new emerging catalytic nanomaterials with enzyme-mimetic activities, which have many extraordinary merits, such as low-cost preparation, maximum atom utilization, ideal catalytic activity, and optimized selectivity. With these advantages, SANs have received extensive research attention in the fields of chemistry, energy conversion, and environmental purification. Recently, a growing number of studies have shown the great promise of SANs in biological applications. In this article, we present the most recent developments of SANs in anti-infective treatment, cancer diagnosis and therapy, biosensing, and antioxidative therapy. This text is expected to better guide the readers to understand the current state and future clinical possibilities of SANs in medical applications.

Single-Site Fe-N-C Atom Based Carbon Nanotubes for Mutually Promoted and Synergistic Oncotherapy

A carbon nanotube (CNT) supported single-site Fe-N-C catalyst (CNTs/Fe-N-C) exhibited attractive properties in peroxidase (POD)-like activity and photothermal effect. Herein, we designed a therapeutic platform by wrapping doxorubicin (DOX) in mesoporous CNTs/Fe-N-C with the cell membrane (CM) of breast cancer. The ultimate nanoagent (CNTs/Fe-N-C/DOX/CM) exhibited high antitumor activity on account of its efficient catalytic ability, increased drug release rates, and significant photothermal effect. Due to the POD-like activity, CNTs/Fe-N-C could effectively catalyze hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (^•OH) for chemodynamic therapy (CDT) of the tumor. Besides, the released DOX not only merely induced the diagnosis of the tumor cells for chemotherapy (CT) but also generated H₂O₂ to promote CDT. Moreover, the photothermal effect of the nanoagent could use for photothermal therapy (PTT). The increasing temperature was conducive to the release of DOX from micropore into the cell, which indirectly enhanced CT and CDT effects. As an intelligent and multifunctional drug delivery platform, the present CNTs/Fe-N-C/DOX/CM nanoagent could be engineered with synergistic treatments and favorable biosafety, which provides a promising paradigm in site-specific antitumor treatment and biomedicine.

Single-atom catalysts based on Fenton-like/peroxymonosulfate system for water purification: design and synthesis principle, performance regulation and catalytic mechanism

Novel single-atom catalysts (SACs) have become the frontier materials in the field of environmental remediation, especially wastewater purification because of their nearly 100% ultra-high atomic utilization and excellent properties. SACs can be used in Fenton-like catalytic reactions to activate various peroxides (such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), ozone (O₃), and persulfate (PSs)) to release active radicals and non-radicals, acting on target pollutants, and realize their decomposition and mineralization. Among them, peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in PS systems has gradually become an important oxidant in Fenton-like processes due to its asymmetric molecular structure and characteristics of easy storage and transportation. Focusing on the numerous proposed strategies for the synthesis and performance regulation of Fenton-like SACs, it has been confirmed that the coordination of isolated metal atoms and the support/carrier enhances the structural robustness and chemical stability of these catalysts and optimizes their catalytic activity and kinetics. Moreover, the tunability of the coordination environment and electronic properties of SACs can improve their other catalytic properties, such as cycle stability and selectivity. Thus, to systematically explain the relationship between the active center, catalyst performance and the corresponding potential catalytic mechanism, herein, we focus on the representative scientific work on the preparation strategy, catalytic application and performance regulation of Fenton-like SACs. Specifically, we review the typical Fenton-like SAC reaction processes and catalytic mechanisms for the degradation of refractory organic compounds in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Finally, the future development and challenges of Fenton-like SACs are presented.

Recent progress in single-atom nanozymes research

Single-atom nanozyme (SAzyme) is the hot topic of the current nanozyme research. Its intrinsic properties, such as high activity, stability, and low cost, present great substitutes to natural enzymes. Moreover, its fundamental characteristics, i.e., maximized atom utilizations and well-defined geometric and electronic structures, lead to higher catalytic activities and specificity than traditional nanozymes. SAzymes have been applied in many biomedical areas, such as anti-tumor therapy, biosensing, antibiosis, and anti-oxidation therapy. Here, we will discuss a series of representative examples of SAzymes categorized by their biomedical applications in this review. In the end, we will address the future opportunities and challenges SAzymes facing in their designs and applications.