Localized deposition of Au nanoparticles by direct electron transfer through cellobiose dehydrogenase

Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) is a fascinating extracellular fungal enzyme that consists of two domains, one carrying a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and the other a cytochrome-type heme b group as cofactors. The two domains are interconnected by a linker and electrons can shuttle from the FAD to the heme group by intramolecular electron transfer. Electron transfer between CDH and an electrode can occur by direct electron transfer (DET) and by mediated electron transfer (MET). This characteristic makes CDH an interesting candidate for integration in systems such as biosensors and biofuel cells. Moreover, it makes CDH an alternative for the reduction of metal ions through DET and MET. In this work we have explored the localized deposition of gold on Pd substrates by CDH through DET and MET. For this purpose we exploited the advantage of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) as a patterning tool. We first demonstrated that gold nanoparticles can be formed in homogenous solution. Then we showed that Au nanoparticles can also be locally formed and deposited on surfaces through DET at low pH and by MET at neutral pH using benzoquinone/hydroquinone as mediator.