There is considerable interest in the pH-dependent, switchable, biocatalytic properties of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles (CeNPs) in biomedicine, where these materials exhibit beneficial antioxidant activity against reactive oxygen species (ROS) at basic physiological pH but cytotoxic prooxidant activity in acidic cancer cell pH microenvironment. While the general characteristics of the role of oxygen vacancies are known, the mechanism of their action at the atomic scale under different pH conditions has yet to be elucidated. The present work applies density functional theory (DFT) calculations to interpret, at the atomic scale, the pH-induced behavior of the stable {111} surface of CeO2 containing oxygen vacancies. Analysis of the surface-adsorbed media species reveals the critical role of pH on the interaction between ROS and the defective CeO2 {111} surface. Under basic conditions, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) biomimetic reactions can be performed cyclically, scavenging and decomposing ROS to harmless products, making CeO2 an excellent antioxidant. However, under acidic conditions, the CAT biomimetic reaction is hindered owing to the limited reversibility of Ce3+ and Ce4+ and formation and annihilation of oxygen vacancies. A Fenton biomimetic reaction is predicted to occur simultaneously with the SOD and CAT biomimetic reactions, resulting in the formation of hydroxyl radicals, making CeO2 a cytotoxic prooxidant.
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