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Biomedical Applications of Sonocatalysis: Current Advancements and Future Perspectives

  • Xinran Song †,   
  • Sishi Luo †,   
  • Cong Luo *,   
  • Hao Fu *

Received: 04 Jun 2026 | Revised: 30 Jun 2026 | Accepted: 03 Jul 2026 | Published: 13 Jul 2026

Abstract

A separate area of sonochemistry known as “sonocatalysis” makes use of the interaction between solid catalysts and ultrasonic (US) to speed up and improve the selectivity of chemical reactions. Sonocatalysis is a non-traditional catalytic activation technique that can open up new activation routes and drastically change reaction processes that are normally not possible with conventional catalysis. This unique approach provides new opportunities to facilitate reactions under milder conditions, with the potential to improve both selectivity and overall efficiency. The applications of sonocatalysis are broad, encompassing environmental remediation, sonodynamic therapy, and biomass conversion. Across these applications, the underlying mechanisms of sonocatalysis and the specific interactions between solid catalysts and US are the key factors driving the enhanced reaction activity. This article introduces the design concepts of specific sonocatalytic therapies based on nanomedicines. Furthermore, based on different treatment principles and therapeutic diversity, representative paradigms of nanomedicine-assisted or enhanced sonocatalytic therapies are elaborated in detail. This review offers an updated and comprehensive retrospective of the nano-sonocatalytic biomedical field and thoroughly explores the progress of various sonocatalytic approaches for disease treatment. Finally, an in-depth discussion of the current challenges and future prospects is presented. It is highly anticipated that the rational combination of nanomedicines and clinical sonocatalytic therapy will promote the emergence and establishment of a new branch in sonocatalytic biomedicine.

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Song, X.; Luo, S.; Luo, C.; Fu, H. Biomedical Applications of Sonocatalysis: Current Advancements and Future Perspectives. Medical Materials Research 2026, 2 (1), 3. https://doi.org/10.53941/mmr.2026.100003.
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