Gold Nanocluster-Promoted Interfacial Electron Transfer of Cytochrome c at an Aqueous–Organic Interface

Functional enzyme–gold nanoparticle bioconjugates are becoming increasingly important in bioelectrocatalysis since they facilitate and improve the efficiency of long-range protein interfacial electron transfer between enzymes and electrodes by enhancing conductivity. While much research has focused...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Abad, José M., Pita, Marcos, López de Lacey, Antonio, Gamero Quijano, Alonso
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/413613
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/413613
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105025597624&doi=10.1021%2Facs.nanolett.5c05030&partnerID=40&md5=7fccb94ecd074ab1c7e07c302d65b5c4
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:bioconjugate
bioelectrochemistry
cytochrome c
Gold nanocluster
liquid−liquid electrochemistry
Description
Summary:Functional enzyme–gold nanoparticle bioconjugates are becoming increasingly important in bioelectrocatalysis since they facilitate and improve the efficiency of long-range protein interfacial electron transfer between enzymes and electrodes by enhancing conductivity. While much research has focused on solid–liquid interfaces, there is still limited understanding of the key parameters and electrochemical conditions necessary for reliable and reproducible bioelectrochemistry at polarizable aqueous–organic interfaces under native conditions. Herein, we demonstrate how the size of gold-modified nanoparticles influences the interfacial electron transfer of cytochrome c at an aqueous–organic interface. We found that nanoclusters centered in a size of 1.2 nm, equivalent to the water-trifluorotoluene mixed solvent layer (ca. 1.5 nm), work in tandem with cytochrome c to facilitate oxygen reduction reactions. In contrast, bioconjugates comprising larger gold nanoparticles are less effective in enhancing cytochrome c electrochemistry, with the gold nanoparticles acting as independent catalysts at the interface. © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society