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Published on: April 22, 2016
Apical Anchoring and Cofactor Customizing To Achieve Ultrahigh Active Nanoenzymes for Removing O2 Interference in
Linlin Wang1, Lanlan Guo1, Xuping Sun2
1Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Additives for Industry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Additives for China National Light Industry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, China.
We developed a novel gold nanozyme (Au NP) that bypasses oxygen interference for efficient glucose electro-oxidation (GEO). This breakthrough enhances Faraday efficiency and mass activity, paving the way for advanced glucose biofuel cells.
Area of Science:
- Nanomaterials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Biocatalysis
Background:
- Noble metal nanozymes (NMs) are alternatives to glucose oxidase (GOD) but suffer from oxygen interference, limiting Faraday efficiency and electrocatalytic activity.
- Low NM utilization and sluggish mass transfer impede the performance of existing nanozyme catalysts.
- Existing nanozymes compete with electrodes for electrons from glucose, reducing overall efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the first gold nanozyme (Au NP) capable of glucose electro-oxidation (GEO) through an oxygen-immune pathway.
- To enhance mass activity and Faraday efficiency by designing a cofactor-customized catalytic interface.
- To guide the engineering of demand-specific electrocatalysts for improved biofuel cell performance.
Main Methods:
- Designed a lipoic acid (ALA) cofactor to preferentially accept electrons from glucose over oxygen for Au NPs.
- Anchored Au NPs and ALA onto sheared hydrophilic carbon nanotubes (T-SCNT/AuNPs/ALA) to create a unique catalytic interface.
- Investigated the mechanism of ALA mediating direct electron transfer between the electrode and Au NPs, independent of oxygen.
Main Results:
- The T-SCNT/AuNPs/ALA system demonstrated a distinctive O2-immune pathway for GEO with record-breaking mass activity.
- Achieved a significant boost in Faraday efficiency from 50% to 98% for GEO compared to CNT/AuNPs.
- Enabled glucose biofuel cells to achieve a 118-fold increase in power density, with a 755-fold increase in mass activity.
Conclusions:
- Successfully engineered a non-O2-interference GEO nanozyme by synergistically regulating the cofactor and catalytic interface.
- The developed Au nanozyme strategy significantly enhances electrocatalytic activity and biofuel cell performance.
- This approach provides a new paradigm for designing highly efficient, oxygen-tolerant electrocatalysts for various applications.
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