# Nanozymes: nanoparticles that act like enzymes

> A radial graphical abstract: one nanoparticle at the hub and four enzyme-like activities around it, each on the material that showed it. Magnetite oxidizes substrates like a peroxidase, gold oxidizes glucose like glucose oxidase, and ceria scavenges superoxide or splits hydrogen peroxide depending on how much Ce³⁺ its surface carries.

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- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Materials graphical abstracts
- Method: Graphical abstract
- Starting materials: Inorganic nanoparticles once thought inert: magnetite, gold and ceria
- Product: Nanozymes with peroxidase-, glucose oxidase-, superoxide dismutase- and catalase-like activity
- Key result: More than 40 types of nanozymes since 2007, and a 4 h standard assay for peroxidase nanozymes (Jiang et al. 2018); ceria’s SOD-like rate constant exceeds the enzyme’s (Korsvik et al. 2007)
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 58 editable layers (4 generated objects with settings)

## Steps

1. **Peroxidase-like · Fe₃O₄**: Magnetite nanoparticles have an intrinsic peroxidase-like activity (Gao et al. 2007); an Fe₃O₄ nanozyme oxidizes TMB to a blue product in the presence of H₂O₂ (Chit et al. 2026)
2. **Glucose oxidase-like · gold**: Gold nanoparticles act as glucose-oxidase-like nanozymes, self-limited but true catalysts, with only their surface atoms as active sites (Zandieh & Liu 2021); they oxidize glucose into gluconic acid and H₂O₂ (Li et al. 2022)
3. **Superoxide dismutase-like · CeO₂ (more Ce³⁺)**: Vacancy-engineered ceria mimics SOD with a rate constant above the enzyme’s (Korsvik et al. 2007); superoxide scavenging is best with more surface Ce³⁺ (Pirmohamed et al. 2010)
4. **Catalase-like · CeO₂ (less Ce³⁺)**: Ceria with less surface Ce³⁺ breaks hydrogen peroxide down to O₂, the opposite trend to its SOD-like activity (Pirmohamed et al. 2010)

## Uses

- Graphical abstracts on nanozymes and artificial enzymes
- Talks on nanozyme-based biosensing and immunoassays
- Teaching enzyme-like activity of inorganic nanoparticles

## References

1. Gao et al., “Intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of ferromagnetic nanoparticles”, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2007.260 (method origin)
2. Korsvik, Patil, Seal & Self, “Superoxide dismutase mimetic properties exhibited by vacancy engineered ceria nanoparticles”, Chem. Commun. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1039/b615134e (primary)
3. Pirmohamed et al., “Nanoceria exhibit redox state-dependent catalase mimetic activity”, Chem. Commun. 2010. https://doi.org/10.1039/b922024k (primary)
4. Chit et al., “Ultrasensitive ppt-level detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) via a hybrid nanozyme, Fe3O4@MWCNTs, with enhanced peroxidase-like activity”, Anal. Chem. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.6c02884 (primary)
5. Jiang et al., “Standardized assays for determining the catalytic activity and kinetics of peroxidase-like nanozymes”, Nat. Protoc. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-018-0001-1 (method origin)
6. Li et al., “Injectable hydrogel based on defect-rich multi-nanozymes for diabetic wound healing via an oxygen self-supplying cascade reaction”, Small 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202200165 (primary)
7. Zandieh & Liu, “Nanozyme catalytic turnover and self-limited reactions”, ACS Nano 2021. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.1c07520 (review)
8. Wei & Wang, “Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes): next-generation artificial enzymes”, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3cs35486e (review)
9. Wu et al., “Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes): next-generation artificial enzymes (II)”, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8cs00457a (review)

Credit: Drawn by LabCanvas after Gao et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 2007 (doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.260); Korsvik et al., Chem. Commun. 2007 (doi:10.1039/b615134e); Pirmohamed et al., Chem. Commun. 2010 (doi:10.1039/b922024k) and Jiang et al., Nat. Protoc. 2018 (doi:10.1038/s41596-018-0001-1).

## Questions

**What does the “Nanozymes: nanoparticles that act like enzymes” template show?** A radial graphical abstract: one nanoparticle at the hub and four enzyme-like activities around it, each on the material that showed it. Magnetite oxidizes substrates like a peroxidase, gold oxidizes glucose like glucose oxidase, and ceria scavenges superoxide or splits hydrogen peroxide depending on how much Ce³⁺ its surface carries.

**What are the steps shown in “Nanozymes: nanoparticles that act like enzymes”?** 1. Peroxidase-like · Fe₃O₄: Magnetite nanoparticles have an intrinsic peroxidase-like activity (Gao et al. 2007); an Fe₃O₄ nanozyme oxidizes TMB to a blue product in the presence of H₂O₂ (Chit et al. 2026). 2. Glucose oxidase-like · gold: Gold nanoparticles act as glucose-oxidase-like nanozymes, self-limited but true catalysts, with only their surface atoms as active sites (Zandieh & Liu 2021); they oxidize glucose into gluconic acid and H₂O₂ (Li et al. 2022). 3. Superoxide dismutase-like · CeO₂ (more Ce³⁺): Vacancy-engineered ceria mimics SOD with a rate constant above the enzyme’s (Korsvik et al. 2007); superoxide scavenging is best with more surface Ce³⁺ (Pirmohamed et al. 2010). 4. Catalase-like · CeO₂ (less Ce³⁺): Ceria with less surface Ce³⁺ breaks hydrogen peroxide down to O₂, the opposite trend to its SOD-like activity (Pirmohamed et al. 2010).

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: Inorganic nanoparticles once thought inert: magnetite, gold and ceria. Product: Nanozymes with peroxidase-, glucose oxidase-, superoxide dismutase- and catalase-like activity.

**Which papers is “Nanozymes: nanoparticles that act like enzymes” based on?** Gao et al., “Intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of ferromagnetic nanoparticles”, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2007 (doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.260); Korsvik, Patil, Seal & Self, “Superoxide dismutase mimetic properties exhibited by vacancy engineered ceria nanoparticles”, Chem. Commun. 2007 (doi:10.1039/b615134e); Pirmohamed et al., “Nanoceria exhibit redox state-dependent catalase mimetic activity”, Chem. Commun. 2010 (doi:10.1039/b922024k); Chit et al., “Ultrasensitive ppt-level detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) via a hybrid nanozyme, Fe3O4@MWCNTs, with enhanced peroxidase-like activity”, Anal. Chem. 2026 (doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.6c02884); Jiang et al., “Standardized assays for determining the catalytic activity and kinetics of peroxidase-like nanozymes”, Nat. Protoc. 2018 (doi:10.1038/s41596-018-0001-1); Li et al., “Injectable hydrogel based on defect-rich multi-nanozymes for diabetic wound healing via an oxygen self-supplying cascade reaction”, Small 2022 (doi:10.1002/smll.202200165); Zandieh & Liu, “Nanozyme catalytic turnover and self-limited reactions”, ACS Nano 2021 (doi:10.1021/acsnano.1c07520); Wei & Wang, “Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes): next-generation artificial enzymes”, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2013 (doi:10.1039/c3cs35486e); Wu et al., “Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes): next-generation artificial enzymes (II)”, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2019 (doi:10.1039/c8cs00457a).

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