Executive Summary
- Nanozymes are nanoscale materials that mimic the catalytic activity of natural enzymes.
- Academic research dominates the field of nanozymes, which suggests that fundamental discoveries are still being made prior to large-scale commercialization.
- Metals and metal oxides are often used for nanozymes, but metal-organic frameworks and covalent-organic frameworks offer excellent tunability and stability.
- Research into nanozymes centers on peroxidase and oxidase activities.
- Leading applications for nanozymes are in biomedicine, e.g., diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as sensors and environmental remediation activities.
Nanotechnology is revolutionizing fields from drug delivery to energy storage, and one of the fastest growing areas of research is nanozymes. Nanozymes are nanoscale materials that exhibit intrinsic enzyme-mimetic catalytic activity. Essentially, these tiny materials are capable of accelerating biochemical reactions through mechanisms analogous to those found in natural enzymes.
Since their formal designation in 2007, nanozymes have emerged as compelling alternatives to natural enzymes, offering superior physicochemical stability across extreme pH and temperature ranges, significantly reduced production costs, tunable catalytic properties through compositional and morphological control, and extended shelf life without requiring cold storage. These capabilities stem from the unique properties of nanomaterials, including their high surface area, abundant active sites, and tunable size-, shape-, and composition-dependent electronic structures, which enable efficient and customizable catalytic performance.
Nanozymes represent a convergence of nanotechnology, catalysis, and biomedicine, attracting interest from biochemists, materials scientists, biomedical engineers, and clinicians. Their programmable properties and inherent robustness position nanozymes as transformative tools for next-generation diagnostics and enzyme replacement therapies. They’re driving significant interdisciplinary research momentum, and we took a deep dive into the research landscape to better understand where this field is headed.
Publication trends in nanozymes
Using CAS IP Finder, powered by STNTM, subject matter experts at CAS accessed the CAS Content CollectionTM, the largest human-curated repository of scientific information, to identify and extract data related to nanozymes. This resulted in more than 14,500 publications, 11,000 unique CAS-indexed concepts, and 14,000 substances.
The research landscape is dominated by journal publications (89%) and is characteristic of an emerging field still in the fundamental research phase, where mechanistic understanding and proof-of-concept studies precede widespread commercialization (see Figure 1). Temporal analysis indicates exponential growth in journal publications, particularly after 2018 with this dramatic surge possibly correlating with breakthrough discoveries in single-atom nanozymes and therapeutic applications. Patent filings show a similar growth trajectory albeit with an offset timeline reflecting the typical academic-to-commercial translation pipeline.
Researchers exploring similar trends can take advantage of AI-enabled search capabilities in CAS SciFinder® to identify patterns and trends in their specific research areas.
The field remains overwhelmingly academia-driven as evidenced by the >97% contribution of journal articles originating from research and academic organizations. The majority of these institutions leading in nanozyme research are located in China (78%), with India, the U.S., and South Korea represented as well (see Figure 2). China also accounts for 39% of corporate-authored journal publications, followed by Italy (8%), the U,S, (8%), and India (7%).
