Bio-Inspired Artificial Electron Transfer in Bioelectrocatalysis

Abstract

Biological systems have complex electron transport pathways that can be used as an inspiration in designing electrodes for bioelectrocatalysis. This presentation will detail the use of microbial biology as an inspiration for designing electrodes capable of hetergeneous reduction to produce ammonia. In this work, we have studied the use of nitrogenase for bioelectrocatalysis, because this MoFe protein is capable of electrosynthesis of ammonia. Although this protein has been studied by biologists in solution or in cells for decades, it has never been effectively wired to an electrode for heterogeneous electrosynthesis. In this work, we detail strategies for electron transport betweent he MoFe protein and the electrode, as well as strategies for immobilization of the enzyme. We will demonstrate bioelectrocatalysis, as well as electrosynthesis assays of the production of ammonia.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1149/ma2017-01/37/1720

Journal

ECS Meeting Abstracts

Year

2017