Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Interfacial electron transfer between artificial carbon nanowires clusters and Cyt c: Enabling electron transport for
Tengyu Zhang1, Pengshuai Zhang2, Jingxin Zhang2
1China-UK Low Carbon College, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 201306, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
None:
Intercellular electron transfer via microbial nanowires and Cytochrome c (Cyt c) is a key mechanism for syntrophic metabolism in anaerobic digestion, yet this functionality is encoded in only a limited number of microbial genomes. To address this limitation, we developed artificial carbon nanowire clusters (ACNCs) derived from plastic/sludge precursors, featuring densely arranged nanowires (Φ 20-60 nm), which form a conductive network supporting microbial colonization and electron transport. Calculations of pseudocapacitance and double-layer capacitance derived from cyclic voltammetry (CV), along with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) characterization, revealed enhanced interfacial electron transfer between Cyt c and ACNC compared to biochar (BC) and, carbon nanotubes (CNT). Mott-Schottky analysis revealed superior energy level alignment between ACNC and Cyt c in comparison to BC/CNT, resulting in an enhanced current response in the ACNCCyt c complex, which is critical for efficient electron transfer. Circular dichroism and EPR spectroscopy revealed that ACNC induced an increase in β-sheet content in Cyt c, optimizing its electron transfer orientation. In microbial communities, ACNC supplementation enriched electroactive populations. Metagenomic analysis showed a 1.67-fold increase in Methanothrix abundance and a 1.16-fold upregulation of multiheme cytochromes (MtrC/Ech/Rnf), leading to a 123 % elevation in methanation rates compared to BC.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Electron Transport Chains
The ETC is comprised of...
Carbon-dioxide Fixation
Interfacial Electrochemical Methods: Overview
Chemiosmosis
Electron Transport Chain
The electron transport chain involves a series of protein complexes on the inner mitochondrial membrane that undergo a series of redox reactions. At the end of this chain, the electrons...
Chemiosmosis and ATP Synthesis

