Surface modification of nanozymes

Nanoparticles and proteins are similar in a number of aspects, and using nanoparticles to mimic the catalytic function of enzymes is an interesting yet challenging task. Impressive developments have been made over the past two decades on this front. The term nanozyme was coined to refer to nanoparticlebased enzyme mimics. To date, many different types of nanozymes have been reported to catalyze a broad range of reactions for chemical, analytical, and biomedical applications. Since chemical reactions happen mainly on the surface of nanozymes, an interesting aspect for investigation is surface modification. In this review, we summarize three types of nanozyme materials catalyzing various reactions with a focus on their surface chemistry. For metal oxides, cerium oxide and iron oxide are discussed as they are the most extensively studied. Then, gold nanoparticles and graphene oxide are reviewed to represent metallic and carbon nanomaterials, respectively. Types of modifications include ions, small molecules, and polymers mainly by physisorption, while in a few cases, covalent modifications were also employed. The functional aspect of such modification is to improve catalytic activity, substrate specificity, and stability. Future perspectives of this field are speculated at the end of this review. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]