Nitrogenase Bioelectrocatalysis: From Understanding Electron-Transfer Mechanisms to Energy Applications

Abstract

Nitrogenase is the only enzyme known to reduce molecular nitrogen to ammonia, so it has been an oxidoreductase enzyme of great interest to the electrofuels and catalysis communities, as people consider the design of bioinspired nitrogen reduction catalysts for the production of ammonia. This Perspective details the use of nitrogenase as an electrocatalyst to learn mechanistic information about the electron-transfer mechanism as an inspiration for molecular and metal-based electrocatalysts and for a variety of energy applications, including energy-efficient ammonia production and biofuel cells. This Perspective also addresses the issues and challenges of nitrogenase bioelectrocatalysis that will need to be addressed in the coming years.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 08, 2018
Accession Number
AD1088874

Entities

People

  • Rong Cai
  • Shelley D. Minteer

Organizations

  • University of Utah

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Carbon Nanotubes
  • Catalysis
  • Chemical Compounds
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Composite Materials
  • Current Density
  • Electron Transfer
  • Engineering
  • Fuel Cells
  • Materials
  • Materials Engineering
  • Materials Science
  • Metallic Nanoparticles
  • Polymers
  • Proteins

Readers

  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Electrochemical Surface Science
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Microelectronics