Protection and Reactivation of the [NiFeSe] Hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough under Oxidative Conditions

Adrian Ruff , Julian Szczesny, Sónia Zacarias, Inês A. C. Pereira, Nicolas Plumeré, and Wolfgang Schuhmann. ACS Energy Lett., 2017, 2, pp 964–968. DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.7b00167

nz-2017-00167v_0004

We report on the fabrication of bioanodes for H2 oxidation based on [NiFeSe] hydrogenase. The enzyme was electrically wired by means of a specifically designed low-potential viologen-modified polymer, which delivers benchmark H2 oxidizing currents even under deactivating conditions owing to efficient protection against O2 combined with a viologen-induced reactivation of the O2inhibited enzyme. Moreover, the viologen-modified polymer allows for electrochemical co-deposition of polymer and biocatalyst and, by this, for control of the film thickness. Protection and reactivation of the enzyme was demonstrated in thick and thin reaction layers.