Citation: Kang Liu, Ziping Wang, Yali Xie, Yongqi Wei, Wengang Liu, Ting Feng, Yong Liu, Haiguang Zhu, Xun Yuan. Bioinspired pathway engineering in Au nanoclusters: Dopamine ligands as molecular switches for exclusive photocatalytic H₂O₂ generation[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(11): 111701. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111701 shu

Bioinspired pathway engineering in Au nanoclusters: Dopamine ligands as molecular switches for exclusive photocatalytic H₂O₂ generation

Kang Liu ^a ,
Ziping Wang ^b ,
Yali Xie ^a ,
Yongqi Wei ^a ,
Wengang Liu ^a ,
Ting Feng ^a ,
Yong Liu ^a ,
Haiguang Zhu ^{a, *,} ,
Xun Yuan ^{a, *,}

a.
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology (QUST), Qingdao 266042, China
b.
Weifang University of Science and Technology, Shandong Peninsula Engineering Research Center of Comprehensive Brine Utilization, Weifang 262700, China

zhuhg@qust.edu.cn

yuanxun@qust.edu.cn

Received Date: 15 June 2025
Revised Date: 4 August 2025
Accepted Date: 9 August 2025
Available Online: 11 August 2025

Figures(5)

Solar-driven hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production offers a sustainable alternative to the energy-intensive anthraquinone process, yet conventional photocatalysts suffer from poor selectivity and uncontrollable reaction pathways. Inspired by catechol oxidase enzymes, we design dopamine-grafted lipoic acid-protected gold nanoclusters (DA-LA-Au NCs) that shift photocatalytic active sites from the metal core to redox-active ligands. This ligand-centric architecture leverages dopamine’s reversible catechol/quinone interconversion to gate a biomimetic proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) pathway, enabling exclusive 2e^- oxygen reduction with near-100% H₂O₂ selectivity while completely suppressing superoxide radical (·O₂^-) generation. Transient absorption spectroscopy and molecular dynamics confirm enhanced electron transfer kinetics and O₂ enrichment at ligand sites. Encapsulation in ZIF-8 stabilizes the system, achieving a record H₂O₂ yield of 1198 µmol/L under visible light without sacrificial agents and a 0.39% solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency, surpassing most reported photocatalysts. This "ligand-as-catalyst" strategy merges enzymatic precision with nanocluster functionality for sustainable oxidant synthesis.
- Metal nanoclusters,
- Ligand engineering,
- Photoluminescence,
- Photocatalysis,
- H₂O₂ production
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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

Bioinspired pathway engineering in Au nanoclusters: Dopamine ligands as molecular switches for exclusive photocatalytic H2O2 generation

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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

Bioinspired pathway engineering in Au nanoclusters: Dopamine ligands as molecular switches for exclusive photocatalytic H₂O₂ generation