Nanobionic catalytic reactors: from structure design, biomimetic catalyst, catalytic mechanism to their applications

Nanobionic catalytic reactors integrate natural bionics and nanocatalysis to achieve efficient, green, and precise reaction processes, providing innovative technical support for green chemical engineering, environmental remediation, and biomedicine. The bionic prototype systems of nanoreactors originate from single-celled algae or bacteria, insects, fish, birds, mammals, and other biological systems. From the perspective of natural evolution of bionic prototype systems, this paper reviews the green catalytic functions of nano-bionic catalytic reactors, including wrinkled turbulence disturbance, interfacial catalytic activation, gradient reaction, spiral interface enrichment, and directional transport. Furthermore, the catalytic mechanisms involving active sites, kinetic diameter, specific surface area, and directional laminar flow are analyzed. Notably, the active sites of nanoreactors are loaded with bionic catalysts such as enzyme- and metal-based catalysts. The loading strategies include covalent exchange, spin polarization, quantum effects, molecular imprinting, and others. Based on these loading methods, theories including Fick's Second Law, Michaelis-Menten kinetics, Langmuir adsorption equation, and volume phase transition equation are employed to elucidate the synergistic bionic catalytic mechanisms, namely the protonation-deprotonation equilibrium model, substrate recognition-catalysis coupling model, and interfacial microenvironment-pH synergy model. Aiming at application scenarios and research bottlenecks, this paper proposes cutting-edge development strategies, including establishing quantitative relationship models based on functional theory and machine learning, predicting the matching relationship between bionic catalyst-substrate systems via AI models, constructing selective channels through surface functional modification, and enhancing the targeting and precision of systems by integrating targeting molecules. This review provides a theoretical reference for the innovation and industrial sustainable development of nano-bionic catalysis theory and technology.