Electrogenic protein condensates as intracellular electrochemical reactors

Charged surfaces in aqueous solution establish electric double layers that modulate interfacial electron transfer and drive redox chemistry. However, the capability to engineer the interfacial electrochemical environments of soft biomaterials to enable electron generation for chemical reactions has not been realized. Here we show that genetically encoded biomaterials that can undergo self-assembly into protein condensates can be engineered to function as electrochemical reactors. We establish the fundamental principles that govern the sequence-electrochemical property relationship of protein condensates, thereby programming their electrogenic behaviours. We demonstrate the applications of protein condensates in various electrochemical reactions in vitro. We also deploy these condensates in biological cells as living materials for intracellular nanoparticle synthesis, pollutant degradation and antibiotic-free inhibition of bacteria through artificial ferroptosis. These intrinsic electrogenic materials offer a biomaterial platform that could be used as a clean and sustainable energy source for the development of next-generation bioelectrochemical devices.