The biological water-oxidizing complex at the nano–bio interface

•We review the WOC in its natural setting in plants.•We compare biological and artificial Mn-based water-oxidizing catalysts.•A promising way to design artificial models for water-oxidizing catalysts is inspired by nature. Photosynthesis is one of the most important processes on our planet, providin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in plant science 2015-09, Vol.20 (9), p.559-568
Main Authors: Najafpour, Mohammad Mahdi, Ghobadi, Mohadeseh Zarei, Larkum, Anthony W., Shen, Jian-Ren, Allakhverdiev, Suleyman I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
artificial photosynthesis
Catalysis
Manganese Compounds - metabolism
nano-sized Mn–Ca oxido cluster
Oxidation-Reduction
Photosynthesis
Plants - metabolism
Solar Energy
Water - metabolism
water oxidation
water-oxidizing complex
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Summary:•We review the WOC in its natural setting in plants.•We compare biological and artificial Mn-based water-oxidizing catalysts.•A promising way to design artificial models for water-oxidizing catalysts is inspired by nature. Photosynthesis is one of the most important processes on our planet, providing food and oxygen for the majority of living organisms on Earth. Over the past 30 years scientists have made great strides in understanding the central photosynthetic process of oxygenic photosynthesis, whereby water is used to provide the hydrogen and reducing equivalents vital to CO2 reduction and sugar formation. A recent crystal structure at 1.9–1.95Å has made possible an unparalleled map of the structure of photosystem II (PSII) and particularly the manganese–calcium (Mn–Ca) cluster, which is responsible for splitting water. Here we review how knowledge of the water-splitting site provides important criteria for the design of artificial Mn-based water-oxidizing catalysts, allowing the development of clean and sustainable solar energy technologies.
ISSN:1360-1385
1878-4372
DOI:10.1016/j.tplants.2015.06.005