Direct electrochemistry of redox proteins or enzymes at various
film electrodes and their possible applications in monitoring some pollutants*
Naifei Hu
Department of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University,
Beijing 100875, China
Abstract: Water-insoluble films modified on the surface of solid
electrodes may provide a unique microenvironment for electron transfer
of some redox proteins or enzymes. The film materials can be two-tail
surfactants, or composites of polyion-surfactant or clay-surfactant.
Both surfactant and composite films cast on surface of electrodes are
self-assembled into an ordered multibilayer structure, which is very
similar to the bilayer structure of biological membrane. Amphiphilic
polymers can also be used for making films. Incorporated heme proteins
such as myoglobin (Mb), hemoglobin (Hb), or horseradish peroxidase (HRP)
in these films demonstrated reversible voltammetry. Studies of direct
electrochemistry of these proteins in various films by our group are
reviewed in this paper. The protein films may provide a good model for
study of electron transfer process in biological systems. The electrocatalytic
properties of the protein films may also be applied to monitor some
pollutant substrates.
* An issue of reviews and research papers based on
presentations made at the IUPAC/ICSU Workshop on
Electrochemistry and Interfacial Chemistry in Environmental Clean-up
and Green Chemical Processes, Coimbra, Portugal, 6-7 April, 2001.
** Corresponding author.
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