Lewis-acidic Zr single-atom nanozyme with room-temperature glycosidase-like activity for cellulosic biomass degradation

Abstract

A zirconium single-atom-anchored nitrogen-doped carbon nanocatalyst (Zr-NC) was developed and demonstrated efficient hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl-β-Dglucopyranoside (PNPG) under ambient conditions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the Zr-N 4 coordination environment possesses pronounced Lewis acid characteristics, which facilitate PNPG polarization and thereby lower the energy barrier for β-1,4-glycosidic bond cleavage. As a result, Zr-NC enables effective degradation of corn stover under mild conditions, providing an alternative catalytic pathway for the conversion of cellulosic biomass.