Semiconductor-metal nanoparticle hybrids with natural and artificial proton pump for hydrogen production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018345263-A1
Application number	US-201715611674-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 1, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to an efficient entirely man-made nanobio hybrid fabricated through cell-free expression of transmembrane proton pump followed by assembly of the synthetic protein architecture with semiconductor nanoparticles for photocatalytic H 2 evolution. The system produces H 2 at a turnover rate of 240 μmol of H 2 (μmol protein) −1 h −1 under green and 17.74 mmol of H 2 (μmol protein) −1 h −1 under white light at ambient conditions, in water at neutral pH with methanol as a sacrificial electron donor. Robsutness and flexibility of this approach allows for systemic manipulation at nanoparticle-bio interface toward directed evolution of energy materials and devices.

First claim

1 . A photocatalyst comprising a synthetically produced opsin disposed in an artificial purple membrane non-covalently coupled to a semiconductor nanocluster.

2 . The photocatalyst of claim 1 , wherein the synthetically produced opsin is produced in a cell-free system.

3 . The photocatalyst of claim 1 , wherein the synthetically produced opsin is a rhodopsin capable of the light-driven translocation of ions across the artificial purple membrane.

4 . The photocatalyst of claim 3 , wherein the synthetically produced opsin is bacteriorhodopsin.

5 . The photocatalyst of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor is selected from the group of: Si, SiC, GaAs, GaInP, GaN, CdS, CdSe, TiO 2 , VO 2 , ZrO 2 , Fe 3 O 4 , Fe 2 O 3 , MnO 2 , NiO, ZnO, Bi 2 O 3 and CuO.

6 . The photocatalyst of claim 5 , wherein the semiconductor is TiO 2 .

7 . The photocatalyst of claim 1 , further comprising a co-catalyst.

8 . The photocatalyst of claim 7 , wherein the co-catalyst is selected from the group of: Pt, Pd, Au, Ag, and composites of thereof.

9 . The photocatalyst of claim 8 , wherein the co-catalyst is Pt.

10 . The photocatalyst of claim 7 , wherein the co-catalyst is dotted on the semiconductor nanocluster.

11 . The photocatalyst of claim 1 , wherein the photocatalyst is active in white light and neutral pH.

12 . A fuel cell comprising:
a photocatalyst comprising a synthetically produced opsin disposed in an artificial purple membrane non-covalently coupled to a semiconductor nanocluster.

13 . The fuel cell of claim 12 , wherein the photocatalyst is provided in an aqueous slurry.

14 . A method of producing hydrogen, comprising photocatalytically splitting water using the photocatalyst of claim 1 .

15 . The photocatalyst of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor is a metal oxide.

Assignees

• Uchicago Argonne Llc

Inventors

• Rozhkova Elena A
• Wang Peng
• Schaller Richard D
• Dimitrijevic Nada M
• Rajh Tijana
• Balasubramanian Shankar G

Classifications

• C07K17/14

  Peptides being immobilised on, or in, an inorganic carrier · CPC title

• H01M4/8828

  Coating with slurry or ink · CPC title

• B01J31/069

  Hybrid organic-inorganic polymers, e.g. silica derivatized with organic groups (nitrogen containing groups on mineral substrates B01J31/0254; organometallic polymers B01J31/123; coordination complexes immobilised on an inorganic support B01J31/1616; coordination polymers, e.g. metal-organic frameworks B01J31/1691) · CPC title

• C01B3/042

  Decomposition of water (by electrolysis of water C25B1/04) · CPC title

• B01J2531/005

  Catalytic metals · CPC title