Chapter 16: Synthetic Photo-catalytic Proteins – a Model of Photosystem II
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Published:07 Dec 2011
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Special Collection: 2011 ebook collection , 2011 ebook collection , ECCC Environmental eBooks 1968-2022 , 2011-2015 environmental chemistry subject collectionSeries: Energy and Environment
B. Conlan, W. Hillier, and T. Wydrzynski, in Molecular Solar Fuels, ed. T. J. Wydrzynski and W. Hillier, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2011, ch. 16, pp. 448-463.
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A primary goal in solar fuels research is the development of an efficient photo-catalyst that splits water into molecular O2 and H2 using solar energy. Uniquely, Nature almost achieved this goal some 2.5 billion years ago by separating the two half-reactions for O2 and H2 production from water into different protein complexes: Photosystem II (PSII) in higher plants and a H+-reducing enzyme (HRE) found in various micro-organisms. In this chapter we briefly summarize some of the bioengineering principles for developing a photo-catalytic protein and describe our first efforts to mimic PSII.
