Photocatalytic Removal of the Greenhouse Gas Nitrous Oxide by Liposomal Microreactors.
Samuel E H PiperCarla CasadevallErwin ReisnerThomas A ClarkeLars J C JeukenAndrew J GatesJulea N ButtPublished in: Angewandte Chemie (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) (2022)
Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is a potent greenhouse and ozone-reactive gas for which emissions are growing rapidly due to increasingly intensive agriculture. Synthetic catalysts for N 2 O decomposition typically contain precious metals and/or operate at elevated temperatures driving a desire for more sustainable alternatives. Here we demonstrate self-assembly of liposomal microreactors enabling catalytic reduction of N 2 O to the climate neutral product N 2 . Photoexcitation of graphitic N-doped carbon dots delivers electrons to encapsulated N 2 O Reductase enzymes via a lipid-soluble biomolecular wire provided by the MtrCAB protein complex. Within the microreactor, electron transfer from MtrCAB to N 2 O Reductase is facilitated by the general redox mediator methyl viologen. The liposomal microreactors use only earth-abundant elements to catalyze N 2 O removal in ambient, aqueous conditions.
Keyphrases
- electron transfer
- highly efficient
- visible light
- climate change
- particulate matter
- air pollution
- quantum dots
- life cycle
- hydrogen peroxide
- metal organic framework
- ionic liquid
- mass spectrometry
- reduced graphene oxide
- fatty acid
- binding protein
- health risk
- protein protein
- room temperature
- nitric oxide
- capillary electrophoresis