Project description
New fuel cell biocatalysts based on metalloenzymes
Directed evolution is a powerful technique for generating tailor-made enzymes for a wide range of biotechnology applications. The goal of the EU-funded DEMED project is to use the tools of directed evolution to develop and optimise artificial metalloenzymes for use in fuel cells. The project will employ electrochemical droplet microarray to screen the desired properties of a selected metalloenzyme: oxygen oxidoreductase, which has not been applied to H2/O2 enzymatic fuel cells before. The project's results will pave the way for the development of high-performance biocatalysts based on metalloenzymes for use in future electrochemical devices (fuel cells).
Objective
The goal of this Marie Curie Individual fellowship proposal is to establish directed evolution of redox enzymes by means of electrochemical microarrays (DEMED) to enable the direct screening of the enzyme properties desired for their application in electrochemical devices. An O2 reducing metalloenzyme for implementation in biocathodes of H2/O2 enzymatic fuel cells will serve as model system to demonstrate that directed evolution of such redox enzymes screened by electrochemical droplet microarray is advantageous to specifically improve biofuel cell performances. The selected metalloenzyme is rubredoxin: oxygen oxidoreductase (ROO), which has never been applied to H2/O2 enzymatic fuel cells so far. First, ROO gene will be cloned and its random mutagenesis library will be synthesized. Second, the electrochemical droplet microarray will be adapted to enable the screening of the desired properties of the metalloenzyme. Third, electrochemical directed evolution of ROO will be carried out. Finally, the interface of ROO and electrode based on redox active polymers will be co-evolved with ROO to achieve high electron transfer rates to the enzyme and thus enable the fabrication of a high performance biocathode. It is expected that this project will have a groundbreaking on directed evolution of metalloenzymes for their practical implementation in electrochemical devices.
Fields of science
- natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistry
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cells
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
80333 Muenchen
Germany