skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A hybrid DNA-templated gold nanocluster for enhanced enzymatic reduction of oxygen

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5b05338· OSTI ID:1227636

We report the synthesis and characterization of a new DNA-templated gold nanocluster (AuNC) of ~1 nm in diameter and possessing ~7 Au atoms. When integrated with bilirubin oxidase (BOD) and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), the AuNC acts as an enhancer of electron transfer (ET) and lowers the overpotential of electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by ~15 mV as compared to the enzyme alone. In addition, the presence of AuNC causes significant enhancements in the electrocatalytic current densities at the electrode. Control experiments show that such enhancement of ORR by the AuNC is specific to nanoclusters and not to plasmonic gold particles. Rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) measurements confirm 4e– reduction of O2 to H2O with minimal production of H2O2, suggesting that the presence of AuNC does not perturb the mechanism of ORR catalyzed by the enzyme. This unique role of the AuNC as enhancer of ET at the enzyme-electrode interface makes it a potential candidate for the development of cathodes in enzymatic fuel cells, which often suffer from poor electronic communication between the electrode surface and the enzyme active site. In conclusion, the AuNC displays phosphorescence with large Stokes shift and microsecond lifetime.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
FA9550-12-1-0112; W911NF-14-1-0263; AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1227636
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-15-23188
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 137, Issue 36; ISSN 0002-7863
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 110 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (111)

Highly Fluorescent, Water-Soluble, Size-Tunable Gold Quantum Dots journal August 2004
Synthesis and structural characterization of [Au9{P(p-C6H4OMe)3}8](BF4)3; a cluster with a centred crown of gold atoms journal January 1982
Blue emitting gold nanoclusters templated by poly-cytosine DNA at low pH and poly-adenine DNA at neutral pH journal January 2012
Enhanced Activity for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide on Titania-Supported Gold Nanoparticles journal May 2007
Thiolate-Protected Aun Nanoclusters as Catalysts for Selective Oxidation and Hydrogenation Processes journal February 2010
Enhancement in Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation Catalysis of Au 25 Clusters by Single Pd Atom Doping journal June 2012
High electrocatalytic activity of tethered multicopper oxidase–carbon nanotube conjugates journal January 2010
Size- and support-dependency in the catalysis of gold journal April 1997
A unified view of ligand-protected gold clusters as superatom complexes journal July 2008
Carbon nanotube/enzyme biofuel cells journal November 2012
Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclohexane Catalyzed by Size-Controlled Au Clusters on Hydroxyapatite: Size Effect in the Sub-2 nm Regime journal December 2010
Electrochemistry and Optical Absorbance and Luminescence of Molecule-like Au 38 Nanoparticles journal May 2004
On the Ligand’s Role in the Fluorescence of Gold Nanoclusters journal July 2010
Electrode kinetics of oxygen reduction journal September 1983
Nanomaterials for renewable energy production and storage journal January 2012
Biofuel cells—Recent advances and applications journal February 2007
Synthesis, structure and properties of metal nanoclusters journal January 2006
d Electron Density and Reactivity of the d Band as a Function of Particle Size in Supported Gold Catalysts journal July 2007
Hairpins with Poly-C Loops Stabilize Four Types of Fluorescent Ag n :DNA journal February 2009
Raman spectroscopy of DNA-metal complexes. I. Interactions and conformational effects of the divalent cations: Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Pd, and Cd journal November 1993
Relative fluorescence quantum yields using a computer-controlled luminescence spectrometer journal January 1983
Copper Active Sites in Biology journal January 2014
A Highly Soluble Luminescent Decanuclear Gold(I) Complex with a Propeller-Shaped Structure journal May 2000
Tunable gold catalysts for selective hydrocarbon oxidation under mild conditions journal October 2005
One Step Synthesis of the Smallest Photoluminescent and Paramagnetic PVP-Protected Gold Atomic Clusters journal October 2010
Strong Effects of Cluster Size and Air Exposure on Oxygen Reduction and Carbon Oxidation Electrocatalysis by Size-Selected Pt n ( n ≤ 11) on Glassy Carbon Electrodes journal February 2013
Stable platinum nanoclusters on genomic DNA–graphene oxide with a high oxygen reduction reaction activity journal July 2013
Epidermal Biofuel Cells: Energy Harvesting from Human Perspiration journal May 2013
Tangential Ligand-Induced Strain in Icosahedral Au 13 journal September 2007
DNA as a Selective Metallization Template journal August 2002
Au 67 (SR) 35 Nanomolecules: Characteristic Size-Specific Optical, Electrochemical, Structural Properties and First-Principles Theoretical Analysis journal January 2013
Visible to Infrared Luminescence from a 28-Atom Gold Cluster journal April 2002
FTIR, UV−Vis, and HRTEM Study of Au/ZrO 2 Catalyst:  Reduced Reactivity in the CO−O 2 Reaction of Electron-Deficient Gold Sites Present on the Used Samples journal July 1998
Identification of Active Sites in Gold-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Acrolein journal February 2003
Electrochemistry of Shape-Controlled Catalysts:  Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Cubic Gold Nanoparticles journal September 2007
Challenges and opportunities for structural DNA nanotechnology journal November 2011
Electrochemistry of Molecule-like Au 25 Nanoclusters Protected by Hexanethiolate journal May 2009
Ambient Synthesis of Au 144 (SR) 60 Nanoclusters in Methanol journal April 2011
Direct heterogeneous electron transfer reactions of bilirubin oxidase at a spectrographic graphite electrode journal September 2004
Sub-Nanometer Au Monolayer-Protected Clusters Exhibiting Molecule-like Electronic Behavior:  Quantitative High-Angle Annular Dark-Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy and Electrochemical Characterization of Clusters with Precise Atomic Stoichiometry journal July 2006
Synthesis of Platinum Cluster Chains on DNA Templates:  Conditions for a Template-Controlled Cluster Growth journal July 2004
Ultra-small fluorescent metal nanoclusters: Synthesis and biological applications journal August 2011
Co3O4 nanocrystals on graphene as a synergistic catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction journal August 2011
Direct electron transfer catalyzed by bilirubin oxidase for air breathing gas-diffusion electrodes journal March 2011
Mechanistic study of direct electron transfer in bilirubin oxidase journal February 2012
The graphene-supported Pd and Pt catalysts for highly active oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline condition journal February 2011
Biofuel cells and their development journal May 2006
Atomically Precise Au25(SR)18 Nanoparticles as Catalysts for the Selective Hydrogenation of α,β-Unsaturated Ketones and Aldehydes journal January 2010
Remarkable Variations in the Luminescence of Frozen Solutions of [Au{C(NHMe) 2 } 2 ](PF 6 )·0.5(Acetone). Structural and Spectroscopic Studies of the Effects of Anions and Solvents on Gold(I) Carbene Complexes journal March 2002
Structure of a Thiol Monolayer-Protected Gold Nanoparticle at 1.1 A Resolution journal October 2007
A DNA-templated fluorescent silver nanocluster with enhanced stability journal January 2012
Pd-Pt Bimetallic Nanodendrites with High Activity for Oxygen Reduction journal May 2009
Nanostructured catalysts in fuel cells journal January 2011
Visible photoluminescence from nearly monodispersed Au12 clusters protected by meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid journal January 2004
Ag Nanocluster Formation Using a Cytosine Oligonucleotide Template journal January 2007
A DNA−Silver Nanocluster Probe That Fluoresces upon Hybridization journal August 2010
Identification of Active Gold Nanoclusters on Iron Oxide Supports for CO Oxidation journal September 2008
Synthesis of water-soluble undecagold cluster compounds of potential importance in electron microscopic and other studies of biological systems journal August 1978
Engineering of Glucose Oxidase for Direct Electron Transfer via Site-Specific Gold Nanoparticle Conjugation journal December 2011
Metal Core Bonding Motifs of Monodisperse Icosahedral Au 13 and Larger Au Monolayer-Protected Clusters As Revealed by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy journal August 2006
Size-Focusing Synthesis, Optical and Electrochemical Properties of Monodisperse Au 38 (SC 2 H 4 Ph) 24 Nanoclusters journal October 2009
Implanted Biofuel Cell Operating in a Living Snail journal March 2012
Oxygen Electroreduction Catalyzed by Gold Nanoclusters: Strong Core Size Effects journal June 2009
Advances in the catalysis of Au nanoparticles journal December 2001
Metalloproteins Containing Cytochrome, Iron–Sulfur, or Copper Redox Centers journal March 2014
Surface Manipulation of the Electronic Energy of Subnanometer-Sized Gold Clusters:  An Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Investigation journal January 2003
Size tuning of Au nanoparticles formed by electron beam irradiation of Au25 quantum clusters anchored within and outside of dipeptide nanotubes journal January 2009
DNA-Templated Ag Nanocluster Formation journal April 2004
Protein-Directed Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters journal January 2009
Nanoelectrochemistry: Metal Nanoparticles, Nanoelectrodes, and Nanopores journal July 2008
Near-Infrared Luminescence from Small Gold Nanocrystals journal August 2000
Direct electrochemical conversion of bilirubin oxidase at carbon nanotube-modified glassy carbon electrodes journal April 2007
Base-Directed Formation of Fluorescent Silver Clusters journal November 2008
Glutathione-Protected Gold Clusters Revisited:  Bridging the Gap between Gold(I)−Thiolate Complexes and Thiolate-Protected Gold Nanocrystals journal April 2005
Characterization of different FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenases for possible use in glucose-based biosensors and biofuel cells journal January 2012
An Overview of Structural DNA Nanotechnology journal July 2007
Recombinantly produced cellobiose dehydrogenase from Corynascus thermophilus for glucose biosensors and biofuel cells journal August 2012
Silver atom and strand numbers in fluorescent and dark Ag:DNAs journal January 2012
A General Approach to the Size- and Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Platinum Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic Reduction of Oxygen journal April 2008
DNA-Hosted Copper Nanoclusters for Fluorescent Identification of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms journal March 2012
Standards for photoluminescence quantum yield measurements in solution (IUPAC Technical Report) journal August 2011
From Aggregation-Induced Emission of Au(I)–Thiolate Complexes to Ultrabright Au(0)@Au(I)–Thiolate Core–Shell Nanoclusters journal October 2012
DNA Encapsulation of 10 Silver Atoms Producing a Bright, Modulatable, Near-Infrared-Emitting Cluster journal August 2010
Surface characterization and direct bioelectrocatalysis of multicopper oxidases journal October 2010
Mediatorless high-power glucose biofuel cells based on compressed carbon nanotube-enzyme electrodes journal June 2011
Magnetic circular dichroism spectra for the octakis(triphenylphosphino)nonagold(3+) ion journal January 1991
Visible Luminescence of Water-Soluble Monolayer-Protected Gold Clusters journal December 2001
Total Structure and Electronic Properties of the Gold Nanocrystal Au 36 (SR) 24 journal November 2012
Supportless Pt and PtPd Nanotubes as Electrocatalysts for Oxygen-Reduction Reactions journal May 2007
Onset of Catalytic Activity of Gold Clusters on Titania with the Appearance of Nonmetallic Properties journal September 1998
The Structure and Optical Properties of the [Au 18 (SR) 14 ] Nanocluster journal January 2015
Synthesis and Characterization of Au 102 ( p -MBA) 44 Nanoparticles journal March 2011
Size-Dependent Activity of Gold Nanoparticles for Oxygen Electroreduction in Alkaline Electrolyte journal June 2008
Highly Fluorescent Noble-Metal Quantum Dots journal May 2007
High Quantum Yield Blue Emission from Water-Soluble Au 8 Nanodots journal July 2003
Atomically Precise Gold Nanoclusters as New Model Catalysts journal March 2013
Why gold is the noblest of all the metals journal July 1995
Biofuel Cells for Self-Powered Electrochemical Biosensing and Logic Biosensing: A Review journal January 2012
A complementary palette of fluorescent silver nanoclusters journal January 2010
Preparation and Photoluminescent Properties of Gold(I)−Alkanethiolate Complexes Having Highly Ordered Supramolecular Structures journal December 2007
Enzyme-based biofuel cells journal June 2007
Nanostructured materials for advanced energy conversion and storage devices journal May 2005
Synthesis of DNA-templated fluorescent gold nanoclusters journal May 2012
Implanted biofuel cells operating in vivo – methods, applications and perspectives – feature article journal January 2013
Improving the Environment for Immobilized Dehydrogenase Enzymes by Modifying Nafion with Tetraalkylammonium Bromides journal July 2004
Synthesis, Characterization, and Bioconjugation of Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters toward Biological Labeling Applications journal January 2009
Ag K-Edge EXAFS Analysis of DNA-Templated Fluorescent Silver Nanoclusters: Insight into the Structural Origins of Emission Tuning by DNA Sequence Variations journal August 2011
Catalysis opportunities of atomically precise gold nanoclusters journal January 2011
DNA-hosted fluorescent gold nanoclusters: sequence-dependent formation journal December 2012
Experimental and Computational Investigation of Au 25 Clusters and CO 2 : A Unique Interaction and Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity journal June 2012
Inorganic Electrochemistry book August 2003

Cited By (14)

The effect of pH and ionic strength on the fluorescence properties of a red emissive DNA-stabilized silver nanocluster journal December 2019
The oxygen reactivity of an artificial hydrogenase designed in a reengineered copper storage protein journal January 2020
Temperature and Viscosity Dependence of Gold Nanodot Luminescence journal October 2017
Probing Viscosity of Co‐Polymer Hydrogel and HeLa Cell Using Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters: Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy and Anisotropy Decay journal January 2020
Temperature and Viscosity Dependence of Gold Nanodot Luminescence: Temperature and Viscosity Dependence of Gold Nanodot Luminescence journal August 2017
Opposite changing dual-emission luminescence of gold nanoparticles by sulfhydryl to develop a pesticide biosensing strategy journal January 2019
Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalyzed by Noble Metal Clusters journal February 2018
Gold nanoclusters doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) for highly sensitive electrochemical sensing of nitrite journal November 2016
Exonuclease III-assisted signal amplification strategy for sensitive fluorescence detection of polynucleotide kinase based on poly(thymine)-templated copper nanoparticles journal January 2019
Intrinsically fluorescent gold nanoclusters stabilized within a copper storage protein that follow the Irving–Williams trend in metal ion sensing journal January 2019
Size Does Matter-Mediation of Electron Transfer by Gold Clusters in Bioelectrocatalysis journal March 2018
An overview on the current understanding of the photophysical properties of metal nanoclusters and their potential applications journal January 2019
Single Platform for Gene and Protein Expression Analyses Using Luminescent Gold Nanoclusters journal February 2018
Kojic acid capped gold nanoclusters with aggregation-induced emission for fluorometric screening of the activity of alkaline phosphatase journal July 2019