Scientific Achievement
Two pathways facilitate electron and light energy transfer from semiconductor to bacterium as concluded using time-resolved spectroscopy and biochemical analysis.
Significance and Impact
This work represents a promising platform to utilize conventional spectroscopic methodology to extract insights from more complex biotic–abiotic hybrid systems.
Research Details
- Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy revealed that photoexcited electron transfer rates increase with increasing hydrogenase (H2ase) enzyme activity.
- The direct energy-transducing enzymatic pathway is responsible for acetic acid production at short time scales (< 3 h).
- H2ase generated H2 dominates as a molecular intermediate at longer time scales.
