Light-Triggered Enzyme Catalysis Inside Vesicle Microreactors

This exciting project will engineer light-driven microreactors converting nitrate to ammonia thereby delivering proof-of-principle for a sustainable technology converting a widespread pollutant to a valuable fertiliser and chemical feedstock.

Harnessing sunlight as an abundant and sustainable source of energy to drive the upcycling of waste presents an attractive strategy to mitigate climate change. For this purpose, smart bio-inspired systems are particularly attractive and we previously demonstrated light-driven reduction of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide in self-assembled vesicle microreactors. Catalytic nitrous oxide reduction was performed by an enzyme operating in aqueous solution under ambient conditions. That chemistry was driven by electrons supplied by robust, light-harvesting Carbon-Dots. Building on that success, this project will assemble vesicles performing the photocatalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia using an entrapped enzyme cascade. Effective transport of reactants and products across the vesicle bilayer will be achieved with protein nanowires, ionophores and pore-forming proteins.

The project will involve protein purification, protein engineering, spectroscopy, photochemistry, analytical chemistry, enzymology and polymer chemistry. Working in an enthusiastic and supportive team the student will become expert in state-of-the-art (bio)chemistry, biophysics and photocatalysis. They will also expand their knowledge of synthetic biology and green chemistry, and benefit from opportunities to participate in national and international conferences.
Informal enquiries are encouraged, please contact Professor Julea Butt (j.butt@uea.ac.uk) for further information.   

References

Photocatalytic removal of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide by liposomal microreactors.
Piper et al. Angew. Chemie Int. Ed. (2022) DOI: 10.1002/anie.202210572

The crystal structure of a biological insulated transmembrane molecular wire.
Edwards et al Cell (2020) DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.032

Rational design of covalent multiheme cytochrome-graphitic carbon dot biohybrids for photo-induced electron transfer.
Zhang et al Adv. Funct. Materials (2023) DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202302204