{"id":474984,"date":"2023-05-17T15:47:28","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T18:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=474984"},"modified":"2024-02-16T15:23:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T18:23:56","slug":"new-biocatalyst-may-be-more-efficient-at-breaking-down-the-water-molecule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/new-biocatalyst-may-be-more-efficient-at-breaking-down-the-water-molecule\/","title":{"rendered":"New biocatalyst may be more efficient at breaking down the water molecule"},"content":{"rendered":"

An experiment recently carried out at the Sirius synchrotron light source, based at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, S\u00e3o Paulo (see<\/em> Pesquisa FAPESP issue n\u00ba 269<\/em><\/a>), showed how a certain biological catalyst makes the breakdown of water molecules (H2<\/sub>O) via electrolysis more efficient. This reaction, an electrochemical process that uses electricity to decompose water into its constituent elements, is of great interest because in addition to oxygen, it also provides hydrogen, highlighted by many experts as the fuel of the future, since it generates no pollution (see<\/em> Pesquisa FAPESP issue n\u00ba 314<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe discovered that when manipulated in the lab, some enzymes found in nature, including bilirubin oxidase [BOD], can accelerate the water-breakdown reaction,\u201d says chemist Frank Nelson Crespilho, a professor at the S\u00e3o Carlos Institute of Chemistry of the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (IQSC-USP) who led the study. \u201cWe didn’t know why this was happening. Thanks to new equipment developed especially for Sirius, we were able to observe how this enzyme, BOD, behaves during the water-oxidation process. We found that the copper atoms inside it play an important role in the reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crespilho believes scientists will be inspired by the part of the enzyme that accelerated the reaction. \u201cIt is interesting that we recognized the important regions of the BOD because now synthetic chemists that produce materials can copy that part of it and synthesize it in the lab. This will make the catalyst much cheaper and greatly expand its potential applications,\u201d says the scientist. The catalysts currently used in the process are generally made of noble metals, such as platinum and iridium, which are more expensive and thus make large-scale application unfeasible. An article describing the experiment, written by Crespilho’s team, which includes Graziela Sedenho, Rafael Colombo, Thiago Bertaglia, and Jessica Pacheco, was published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials <\/em>in October. Scientists from the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) also participated in the study.<\/p>\n

Researchers around the world are searching for new water-oxidation catalysts<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bilirubin oxidase was extracted from the fungus Myrothecium verrucaria<\/em>, commonly found in soil and on plants. When manipulated in the lab, it contributes to the water breakdown reaction \u2014 something that does not occur spontaneously in nature. Inside the reactor, the enzyme acts more specifically on the formation of molecular oxygen, which is one of the two reactions required to break down the H2<\/sub>O molecule. The other is the formation of hydrogen. The two occur concurrently. \u201cRegarding hydrogen formation, which takes place on one side of the reactor, everything is already better known. There are cheaper and more efficient catalysts. The water-oxidation reaction, however, is very slow and scientists all over the world are looking for better catalysts for this,\u201d explains Crespilho.<\/p>\n

The researchers were only able to observe the enzyme’s behavior during the bioelectrochemical reaction in such detail thanks to Sirius\u2019s cutting-edge infrastructure. The team used the Tarum\u00e3 experimental station of the CARNA\u00daBA beamline, which is still in the scientific commissioning phase, involving testing, technical development, routines, and experimental strategies.<\/p>\n

\u201cVarious types of experiments and scientific topics are addressed in this phase, with the aim of demonstrating the beamline\u2019s potential,\u201d says physicist Helio Cesar Nogueira Tolentino, head of the Heterogeneous and Hierarchical Matter Division at LNLS. Of the 14 beamlines initially planned for Sirius, seven are already operational. Each operates on a different energy band, using a primary technique. All seven are open to scientists from Brazil and abroad.<\/p>\n

\"\"

L\u00e9o Ramos Chaves \/ Pesquisa FAPESP Magazine <\/span>Monochromator: part of the CARNA\u00daBA beamline at Sirius, where the study was carried outL\u00e9o Ramos Chaves \/ Pesquisa FAPESP Magazine <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Operating since late 2021, the CARNA\u00daBA beamline is the longest at Sirius. It was designed for X-ray absorption spectroscopy, allowing experiments to be carried out with different materials at a nanometric scale. In addition to the powerful, superfocused beam of light, Crespilho’s group was also given access to a device recently developed by the LNLS team for the field of biochemistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an electrochemical cell for in situ<\/em> experiments. It is placed in front of the X-ray beam, which focuses on the material being studied at the moment the chemical reaction occurs. With this cell, we can also apply electrical potential and measure the current or apply the current and measure the potential, allowing us to see how the material responds to these external stimuli. All while the chemical reaction is taking place,\u201d explains Itamar Tomio Neckel, a physicist from the CARNA\u00daBA group at LNLS and lead developer of the new electrochemical cell, a device small enough to fit in the palm of the hand.<\/p>\n

The biggest challenge, according to the researcher, is to miniaturize everything, since the reactions have to take place in an extremely limited physical space. At the same time, the conditions found in the labs of different users need to be simulated. The CARNA\u00daBA beamline is 100 times smaller than a strand of hair and is known as an X-ray nanoprobe.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\n \n \n \n <\/picture>Alexandre Affonso \/ Revista Pesquisa FAPESP<\/span><\/div>
\n

The major difference is that the equipment allows the material in the experiment to be mapped in situ<\/em>, allowing the researchers to see the state of the material \u2014 in the study in question, copper \u2014 during the different stages of the chemical reaction. \u201cIn these in situ <\/em>experiments, we studied the kinetics in real time. We produced an electrochemical reaction and studied all of its stages using a microscope that gave us real-time information about the structure and chemical state of the elements involved,\u201d explains Tolentino. \u201cThe experiments allowed us to understand the bioelectrocatalysis process, which is very important to hydrogen production. They open up further possibilities for producing hydrogen through a reaction that is quite simple and involves common materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

The work by Crespilho\u2019s team was part of a set of some 30 projects external to the LNLS funded by a call for research for commissioning the station, launched in October. The article published by the IQSC-USP group was the first in the field of bioelectrochemistry, but other experiments have been carried out on the same theme that are soon to be published, including one by a group from Argentina.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe results obtained by the USP group in collaboration with CNPEM show the potential of in situ<\/em> electrochemical studies in conjunction with synchrotron radiation in terms of elucidating important reaction mechanisms in biocatalysis,\u201d says chemist Ana Fl\u00e1via Nogueira, from the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), who was not part of Frank Crespilho’s team. She emphasizes the unprecedented use of the technique and its research potential. \u201cIn this study, copper catalytic sites were identified at a nanometric scale. The partnership shows the Brazilian community that our scientists can benefit from the advanced technologies available at Sirius and earn recognition worldwide for characterizing materials at the nanoscale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Projects<\/strong>
\n1.<\/strong> Towards a convergence of technologies: From sensors and biosensors to the visualization of information and machine learning for data analysis in clinical diagnostics (n\u00ba 18\/22214-6<\/a>); Grant Mechanism <\/strong>Thematic Project; Principal Investigator <\/strong>Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior (USP); Investment <\/strong>R$14,050,528.68.
\n2.<\/strong> High-performance electrodes in organic batteries and biofuel cells (n\u00ba 19\/12053-8<\/a>); Grant Mechanism<\/strong> Regular Research Grant; Principal Investigator<\/strong> Frank Nelson Crespilho (USP); Investment <\/strong>R$185,392.57.
\n3.<\/strong> Hybrid bio-photo-electrochemical cells for solar energy conversion (n\u00ba <\/u>19\/15333-1<\/a>); Grant Mechanism<\/strong> Regular Research Grant; Principal Investigator<\/strong> Frank Nelson Crespilho (USP); Investment <\/strong>R$154,168.10.
\n4.<\/strong> Development of Van der Waals surfaces for application in biodevices (n\u00ba <\/u>21\/05665-7<\/a>); Grant Mechanism <\/strong>Postdoctoral Fellowship in Brazil; Supervisor<\/strong> Frank Nelson Crespilho (USP); Beneficiary<\/strong> Rafael Neri Prystaj Colombo; Investment <\/strong>R$221,490.30.
\n5.<\/strong> In situ studies and use of metalloenzymes in energy conversion and bioelectrosynthesis of fuels (n\u00ba <\/u>20\/04796-8<\/a>); Grant Mechanism <\/strong>Postdoctoral Fellowship in Brazil; Supervisor<\/strong> Frank Nelson Crespilho (USP); Beneficiary <\/strong>Graziela Sedenho; Investment<\/strong> R$353,668.31.
\n6.<\/strong> Development of Van der Waals surfaces for application in biodevices (n\u00ba <\/u>21\/05665-7<\/a>); Grant Mechanism <\/strong>Postdoctoral Fellowship in Brazil; Supervisor<\/strong> Frank Nelson Crespilho (USP); Beneficiary<\/strong> Rafael Neri Prystaj Colombo; Investment <\/strong>R$221,490.30.
\n7.<\/strong> Bioelectrosynthesis of value-added compounds using atmospheric nitrogen and carbon dioxide (n\u00ba <\/u>20\/15098-0<\/a>); Grant Mechanism <\/strong>Doctoral Fellowship in Brazil; Supervisor<\/strong> Frank Nelson Crespilho (USP); Beneficiary <\/strong>Jessica Pacheco; Investment <\/strong>R$232,584.24.
\n8.<\/strong> Microbatteries using bioinspired redox molecules and hydrogels (n\u00ba <\/u>20\/03681-2<\/a>); Grant Mechanism <\/strong>Direct Doctoral Fellowship in Brazil; Supervisor<\/strong> Frank Nelson Crespilho (USP); Beneficiary<\/strong> Tiago Bertaglia; Investment <\/strong>R$217,444.50.<\/p>\n

Scientific article
\n<\/strong>SEDENHO, G. C. et al<\/em>. Investigation of water splitting reaction by a multicopper oxidase through X-ray absorption nanospectroelectrochemistry<\/a>. Advanced Energy Materials.<\/strong> oct. 17, 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"USP researchers shed light on reaction fundamental to hydrogen fuel production","protected":false},"author":468,"featured_media":477292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[169],"tags":[211,259,235],"coauthors":[778],"class_list":["post-474984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-biochemistry","tag-chemistry","tag-physics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474984"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":504099,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474984\/revisions\/504099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474984"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=474984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}