Electrocatalysis by hydrogenases: lessons for building bio-inspired device

A number of redox enzymes function as excellent electrocatalysts when attached to electrodes or conductor/semi-conductor surfaces. A particular focus of this review is on hydrogenases, enzymes which use a di-iron or nickel-iron center to interconvert 2H+ and H2 at extremely high turnover frequencies, although the concepts we highlight apply to a wider range of redox enzymes. Taking hydrogenases as our main case study, we examine how a detailed electrochemical understanding of the electrocatalytic behaviour of an enzyme can inform the development of devices in which the enzyme exchanges electrons directly with a range of inorganic materials, including graphite electrodes and particles, semi-conductor electrodes and quantum dots. We review recent developments in composite enzyme-inorganic catalysts, some of the biological and materials challenges in building devices based on enzymes, and the future opportunities for devices based on biological catalysts, including fuel cells, light-driven fuel production and coupled catalysis for chemical synthesis.Um grande número de enzimas podem funcionar como excelentes eletrocatalisadores quando colocados sobre eletrodos ou superfícies de materiais condutores ou semicondutores. Em particular, nessa revisão serão abordadas as hidrogenases, que são enzimas com centros catalíticos contendo dois átomos de ferro ou um de ferro e outro de níquel para fazer a interconversão entre 2H+ e H2 com altas frequências de turnover, entretanto os...

Source: Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society - March 26, 2014 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research