Heterojunction nanocatalytic medicine

With the cross-fusion of catalytic chemistry, nanoscience, and biomedicine, heterojunction nanocatalytic medicine has become an important tool for disease diagnosis and treatment. Heterojunction is a unique structure formed by the close combination of two or more different semiconductor materials and mediates the rearrangement of electrons or holes at their binding interface. The energy band structure of the catalyst can be effectively adjusted by designing the heterojunction structure, and the performance and function of the material can be significantly improved. Compared with a single semiconductor, heterojunctions can be more effectively excited by the excitation source in the biological window range, and can effectively inhibit the electron-hole recombination. In addition, heterojunctions containing multiple compounds not only retain the properties of each component but also exhibit a variety of unique functions. Heterojunction nanomaterials can effectively improve the utilization efficiency of external excitation energy, and have multiple reactive sites, thus expanding the selectivity of substrates. Therefore, by combining different nanomaterials to synthesize heterojunction structures, these novel and highly efficient heterojunction nanomedicines combine the unique properties of heterojunctions with medical needs to achieve efficient and safe catalytic therapy, significantly improving the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Heterojunction nanocatalytic medicine refers to the use of nontoxic heterojunction catalysts to replace traditional drugs, catalyzing reactions at disease sites to generate therapeutic products and achieve therapeutic effects. As a novel material structure, heterojunctions have shown tremendous potential in tumor treatment. Under external stimulation, heterojunction-based drugs can trigger in situ catalytic reactions within tumors, converting nutrients that sustain tumor growth into “drugs” that inhibit tumor growth, leading to tumor cell-specific death. Its principle is based on the unique band structure of the catalyst and the efficient electron-hole separation mechanism, through the catalytic reaction to generate active oxygen species and other active substances, directly acting on the lesion site, to achieve accurate and efficient disease treatment. Heterojunction nanocatalysis medicine with its unique electron transfer and catalytic mechanism, “locally sourced”, “hair-trigger” to induce in vivo multi-center, multi-directional cascade of synergistic catalytic reactions, break the tumor microenvironment defense mechanism, and improve the targeting, timeliness, and safety of disease treatment from the root. Compared with single-material catalysts, heterojunction nanocatalysts can optimize the band structure by combining different semiconductor or metal materials, greatly improving the catalytic efficiency and selectivity. At the same time, this nanomaterial can also make full use of a variety of exogenous stimuli such as light, electricity, and sound, and show a wide range of application prospects in the fields of tumor treatment, antibacterial promotion of healing, and biological detection. This paper focuses on the catalytic mechanism and synthesis strategy of heterojunction nanocatalysts, and focuses on summarizing and analyzing the development and application potential of heterojunction nanocatalysts in the biomedical field, especially in the fields of biodetection, antibacterial promotion of healing, and tumor therapy.