Nanozyme Metabolism Controls Air Pollution over an Atomic Potassium Cyano Site.

Wu, Yu; Su, Rina; Jiang, Wenxuan; Xu, Weiqing; Qin, Ying; Wang, Canglong; Zheng, Lirong; Hu, Liuyong et al. · Nano Lett · 2024

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Increasing threats of air pollution prompt the design of air purification systems. As a promising initiative defense strategy, nanocatalysts are integrated to catalyze the detoxification of specific pollutants. However, it remains a grand challenge to tailor versatile nanocatalysts to cope with diverse pollutants in practice. Here, we report a nanozyme metabolism system to realize broad-spectrum protection from air pollution. Atomic K-modified carbon nitride featuring flavin oxidase-like and peroxidase-like activities was synthesized to initiate nanozyme metabolism. <i>In situ</i> experiments and theoretical investigations collectively show that K sites optimize the geometric and electronic structure of cyano sites for both enzyme-like activities. As a proof of concept, the nanozyme metabolism was applied to the mask against volatile organic compounds, persistent organic pollutants, reactive oxygen species, bacteria, and so on. Our finding provides a thought to tackle global air pollution and deepens the understanding of nanozyme metabolism.