The team led by Professor Sun Litao at the School of Integrated Circuits, Southeast University, has achieved a significant milestone in the realm of atomic manufacturing. By meticulously manipulating the distances between individual atoms, the team has innovated a novel sensor that boasts a uric acid (UA) detection sensitivity nearly two orders of magnitude superior to conventional methods. This pioneering work, titled "Enhanced Sensing Signal of Uric Acid via Three-Electron Transfer through Precisely Controlled Spacing of Single-Atom Catalysts," has been featured in the prestigious international journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, where it was recognized as a Very Important Paper and selected for the Back Cover.

The research team employed molecular tweezers to stabilize the spacing between two catalytic atoms. By finely tuning the distance between ruthenium single atoms within the binuclear catalyst, they achieved a remarkable enhancement in detection sensitivity. Experimental results revealed that when the atomic spacing was narrowed to 6.2 Å, the binuclear ruthenium single-atom catalyst facilitated a three-electron oxidation reaction of uric acid, dramatically lowering the reaction energy barrier and amplifying signal strength.

Moreover, this advanced technology has been seamlessly integrated into flexible wearable sensors. Users can now synchronize uric acid data from sweat to their mobile devices in real-time via Bluetooth, enabling dynamic monitoring of metabolic status. Looking ahead, this technology holds promise for the precise tracking of various biomarkers, including blood glucose and lactic acid, which could pave the way for early chronic disease detection and personalized medicine advancements.