Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 May 11;24(10):8605. doi: 10.3390/ijms24108605.
The extraordinary potential of hydrogen as a clean and sustainable fuel has sparked the interest of the scientific community to find environmentally friendly methods for its production. Biological catalysts are the most attractive solution, as they usually operate under mild conditions and do not produce carbon-containing byproducts. Hydrogenases promote reversible proton reduction to hydrogen in a variety of anoxic bacteria and algae, displaying unparallel catalytic performances. Attempts to use these sophisticated enzymes in scalable hydrogen production have been hampered by limitations associated with their production and stability. Inspired by nature, significant efforts have been made in the development of artificial systems able to promote the hydrogen evolution reaction, via either electrochemical or light-driven catalysis. Starting from small-molecule coordination compounds, peptide- and protein-based architectures have been constructed around the catalytic center with the aim of reproducing hydrogenase function into robust, efficient, and cost-effective catalysts. In this review, we first provide an overview of the structural and functional properties of hydrogenases, along with their integration in devices for hydrogen and energy production. Then, we describe the most recent advances in the development of homogeneous hydrogen evolution catalysts envisioned to mimic hydrogenases.
氢气作为一种清洁和可持续燃料的非凡潜力引起了科学界的兴趣，他们正在寻找环保的生产方法。生物催化剂是最有吸引力的解决方案，因为它们通常在温和的条件下运行，并且不会产生含碳的副产物。氢化酶在各种缺氧细菌和藻类中促进质子可逆还原为氢气，显示出无与伦比的催化性能。尽管这些复杂的酶在可扩展的制氢方面具有应用潜力，但由于其生产和稳定性方面的限制，实际应用仍受到阻碍。受自然界的启发，人们做出了巨大的努力来开发人工系统，这些系统可以通过电化学或光驱动催化来促进析氢反应。从小分子配合物出发，人们围绕催化中心构建了基于肽和蛋白质的结构，旨在将氢化酶的功能复制到坚固、高效和具有成本效益的催化剂中。在这篇综述中，我们首先概述了氢化酶的结构和功能特性，以及它们在用于制氢和能源生产的设备中的集成。然后，我们描述了最近在开发模拟氢化酶的均相析氢催化剂方面的进展。
