Fabrication of Hydrogenase Molecular Assemblies for Biohydrogen Production

Hydrogen is one of the centerpieces of a sustainable , carbon2free energy supply , which has been attracted growing attention because of the rapid consumption of fossil fuel and unacceptable environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect . In nature , some green algae can produce hydrogen after incubation under anaerobic conditions , during which hydrogenase is synthesized and activated. The hydrogenase can reversely catalyze oxidation of hydrogen gas and reduction of protons , thus attracted much attention in the fields of biohydrogen production and biofuel cells. This paper reviews recent developments in the design and assembly of hydrogenase2modified electrodes , wherein the enzyme was immobilized by physical adsorption , self2assembly , sol2gel and Langmuir2Blodgett methods. Electrochemical properties of hydrogenase in the molecular assemblies and its application in biohydrogen production are discussed.