Emerging carbon-supported single-atom catalysts for biomedical applications

Carbon-supported single-atom catalysts (SACs) are very promising for biomedical applications due to their unique superiorities, including uniform size in nanoscale, ease of preparation and functionalization, low cost and toxicity, and good biodegradability and biocompatibility. In this review, we systematically summarize synthetic strategies and characterization technologies for carbon-supported SACs, and outline their recent advances in various biomedical applications such as cancer therapy, antibacterial therapy, biosensing and detection, oxidative-stress cytoprotection, and sepsis management. In addition, their biosafety and toxicity evaluations are also discussed in depth. Furthermore, the state-of-the-art progress, challenges, and perspectives of carbon-supported SACs in biomedical applications are highlighted and discussed in detail. There is no doubt that the emerging carbon-supported SACs will be used for practical clinical applications through unremitting efforts of scientific researchers in the near future.