Recent Advances in Phosphatase-Mimetic Nanozymes for Analytical Sensing

Nanozymes, nanoscale materials with intrinsic enzyme-like catalytic properties, have emerged as promising candidates for analytical detection due to their high stability, low cost, and tunable design. Early research primarily focused on redox-active nanozymes, which demonstrated remarkable success in fabricating optical and electrochemical sensing platforms for use in environmental monitoring, food safety analysis, and biomarker detection. However, redox reactions are susceptible to matrix interference and exhibit limited capability for directly detecting non-redox targets. To expand the applicability of nanozymes, recent studies have shifted attention towards hydrolase-mimicking nanozymes, particularly those capable of catalyzing the hydrolysis of phosphate esters. These nanozymes enable the specific cleavage of phosphate ester bonds, providing unique signal transduction principles for the direct detection of phosphorylated biomolecules, organophosphorus pesticides, and nerve agents. In this minireview, we summarize the latest advances in phosphatase-mimetic nanozymes, with a focus on their emerging applications in food analysis, biomedical sensing, and ion detection. In addition, the catalytic mechanisms of phosphatase-mimetic nanozymes are discussed, and material components that can mimic the hydrolytic activity are summarized. Current challenges in this promising field and future development trends are also pointed out. We aim to offer some insights into the rational design and functional modulation of phosphatase-mimetic nanozymes, facilitating their practical implementation in analytical sensing.