Augmenting the Performance of Hydrogenase for Aerobic Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution via Solvent Tuning

Abstract

This work showcases the performance of [NiFeSe] hydrogenase from Desulfomicrobium baculatum for solar-driven hydrogen generation in a variety of organic-based deep eutectic solvents. Despite its well-known sensitivity towards air and organic solvents, the hydrogenase shows remarkable performance under an aerobic atmosphere in these solvents when paired with a TiO2 photocatalyst. Tuning the water content further increases hydrogen evolution activity to a TOF of 60±3 s−1 and quantum yield to 2.3±0.4 % under aerobic conditions, compared to a TOF of 4 s−1 in a purely aqueous solvent. Contrary to common belief, this work therefore demonstrates that placing natural hydrogenases into non-natural environments can enhance their intrinsic activity beyond their natural performance, paving the way for full water splitting using hydrogenases.