Functionalized nanoscale metal oxides for biosensing, bioimaging and cancer therapy

Nanoscale metal oxides and their nanocomposites have strong prospects in chemical and biological analysis due to their unique catalytic, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties. Moreover, nanoscale metal oxides also provide favorable platforms for integrating identified units into sensors with enhanced performance. In this review, various nanoscale metal oxides-based strategies applied in the fabrication of colorimetric, fluorescence and electrochemical sensors were first summarized. Then, we focused on highlighting the advantages of employing metal oxides-based system for bioimaging. Innovative nanocomposites and nanoscale metal oxidesfunctionalized nanosystem used in cancer therapy were also briefly discussed. Finally, several shortcomings and further challenges in this field were discussed. The general development trend identified in this review indicated that the application of metal oxides has significantly improved the sensing sensitivity, imaging contrast as well as the efficiency of cancer therapy.