The 20th Anniversary of Hydrolytic Nanozymes: New Insights and Developments

Dear Colleagues,

Twenty years ago, in 2004, the term “nanozyme” was introduced in the chemical literature in relation to a functional nanoparticle able to cleave phosphate diesters bonds with high efficiency and with a mechanism mimicking that of natural phosphate cleaving enzymes (see: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Eng. 2004, 43, 6165–6169). Since then, the term nanozyme has been developed and extended to nanosystems able to perform the most diverse reactions with mechanisms and, most importantly, with efficiencies like those of natural proteins. A search of the Scopus database returned more than 5000 records using the keyword nanozyme. In total, Ca. 10% of these entries concern hydrolytic nanozymes. In addition, research on the mimicry of hydrolytic enzymes has increased in the last thirty years of the previous millennium using nanosystems, mostly micellar and vesicular aggregates. Today, we would certainly define those systems as nanozymes.

To celebrate this anniversary, we are launching this Special Issue of Nanomaterials on “Hydrolytic Nanozymes”. We are particularly proud of this Special Issue as we actively took part in the research on hydrolytic micellar and vesicular catalysis of the last century and are involved in the most recent study on hydrolytic metallic nanosystems. We have hence witnessed the evolution of this field from the very beginning to the most recent and exciting developments.

Hydrolysis is probably one of the most important reactions catalyzed by natural enzymes. Hydrolytic enzymes process food, edit DNA and RNA and, in general, convert complex molecules into simple ones. In order to be carried out under mild conditions of pH and temperature, a hydrolytic process requires a catalyst that has been very carefully designed to optimize nucleophilic and electrophilic catalysis and often operates in a concerted way.

We are looking for contributions that deal with hydrolytic processes catalyzed by nanosystems including (but not limited to) micellar and vesicular systems, polymers, metal nanoparticles, nanoclusters, and metal organic frameworks, with sizes ranging from a few to several hundred nanometers.

Original research is particularly welcome, but reviews and feature articles will also be considered. In these latter cases, the authors are encouraged to contact the editors irst to avoid contributions overlapping in scope.

We are convinced that this Special Issue will constitute a milestone in the research on “hydrolytic nanozymes”, 20 years after this term was first coined.

Prof. Dr. Paolo M. Scrimin
Prof. Paolo Tecilla
Guest Editors

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• hydrolysis
• micelle
• vesicle
• nanoparticle
• metal–organic frameworks
• cleavage
• hydrolase
• nuclease
• enzyme mimic
• nanozyme