New Publication

In a new publication in Cell Reports Physical Science led by the King group at NREL, we investigate the pre-steady-state kinetics of biohybrids formed between colloidal CdS nanocrystals and molybdenum nitrogenase. By tracking the formation of reduced intermediates, we show that the efficiency of hole scavenging critically governs productive N₂ reduction and H₂ evolution. This work provides mechanistic insight into how charge transfer dynamics impact catalytic outcomes in light-driven enzyme–nanocrystal systems.

P. J. Dahl, L. M. Pellows, Z.-Y. Yang, L. C. Seefeldt, J. W. Peters, G. Dukovic, D. W. Mulder, P. W. King. "Pre-steady-state kinetics of nanocrystal:molybdenum nitrogenase biohybrids reveals hole-scavenging efficiency is critical to N₂ reduction." Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 2025.