The human body is the best atomic engineer. An international team led by researchers from the Czech Institute for Advanced Research and Technologies (CATRIN) at Palacký University in Olomouc and the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VŠB–Technical University of Ostrava witnessed this while developing a revolutionary technology that could transform industrial production of hydrogen peroxide and other chemicals.
In designing a material that simplifies the production process, does not require toxic organic solvents or expensive precious metals, and operates using only sunlight, oxygen, and water, the scientists drew inspiration from human enzymes. The prestigious journal Nature Communications published the work at the end of last year, listing it among the 50 most significant scientific discoveries of the year.
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most important industrial chemicals. It is widely used not only in the chemical industry but also in pharmaceuticals, medicine, textiles, and water treatment technologies. The hydrogen peroxide market is estimated at over five billion dollars annually. Traditional production involves a multi-step process using toxic organic solvents and expensive palladium-based catalysts. Moreover, both the input chemicals and waste products can negatively impact health and the environment.
“Our goal was to develop a material that enables efficient, eco-friendly, and low-cost hydrogen peroxide production. In designing such a photocatalyst, we drew inspiration from the structure and behavior of enzymes in the human body. The result is a technology that does not require toxic organic solvents or expensive precious metals and uses a cheap carbon-, nitrogen-, and copper-based material that works in water with only sunlight and atmospheric oxygen,” said Radek Zbořil, head of the CATRIN and CEET research teams.
In developing the new photocatalyst, the Czech scientists mimicked the function of cytochrome c oxidase, an enzyme that allows human cells to obtain energy by transferring electrons to oxygen. The enzyme uses copper atoms in its structure for this transfer, and the researchers relied on this mechanism.
“We very precisely mimicked the chemical environment of the metals in the enzyme structure and anchored copper atoms on the surface of very small carbon nanoparticles with photocatalytic properties. It is between these carbon nanoparticles, copper atoms, and oxygen molecules that, upon light irradiation, an extremely efficient electron transfer occurs, resembling enzymatic processes and allowing high hydrogen peroxide production,” added the first author of the study, Lukáš Zdražil, who is also affiliated with CATRIN and CEET.
Producing hydrogen peroxide using sunlight and water has been a goal of research teams worldwide for several years, as it does not require toxic organic solvents and generates no toxic byproducts. Previous research remained mostly at the academic level, particularly due to the use of expensive metals and often complex photocatalyst compositions. Interim laboratory studies also yielded relatively low hydrogen peroxide production, insufficient compared to current industrial output.
“The new photocatalyst enables hydrogen peroxide production up to two orders of magnitude higher than all previously published systems, bringing it closer to industrial requirements. The material is also completely non-toxic, easily recyclable, and reusable in production,” Zdražil added.
The Czech teams are now focusing on the potential use of this technology for local chemical production at the point of consumption, for agriculture, pharmaceutical manufacturing, or ecological applications. Combining solar energy with materials mimicking enzymatic systems could yield further promising results.
“I believe that mimicking the structures and functions of iron- and copper-based enzymes could lead to other interesting technologies in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, for example in the production of epoxides, alcohols, or phenols,” concluded Zbořil.
Source: https://www.catrin.com/cs/aktuality/cesti-vedci-vyvinuli-material-pro-vyrobu-chemikalii-z-vody-a-slunce-inspirovali-se-lidskymi-enzymy/
