Interfacial Electric Fields Modulate Redox Reactions in Abiological Coacervates
Biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) establish gradients of biomolecules and ions across the dilute-dense interface, giving rise to interfacial electric fields (IEFs) that can drive redox reactions. Here, we demonstrate that such electrochemical behavior is not exclusive to biological systems. By using polyelectrolyte-counterion interactions to induce phase separation, we formed synthetic coacervates that exhibit surface electrical potentials. The resulting IEFs liberate reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals and electrons from hydroxide ions, leading to detectable redox activity. These findings reveal that LLPS-driven electrochemical functions are not limited to biology and can be harnessed in designed abiological systems to mimic the biochemical roles of cellular condensates.
Authors
- Richard N. Zare (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5266-4253)
- Hongshuai Wei
- Zejun Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0313-5819)
- Fei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0523-9075)
- Xinxing Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5884-2727)
- Xiaoxu Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8510-624X)
- Yu Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6539-8676)
- Yinqi Tian
- Tongqing Yue
Institutions
- Nankai University (CN)
- College of Medical Sciences (NP)
- Advanced Energy Materials (United States) (US)
- Universidad del Noreste (MX)
- Northeastern University (CN)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Published
- 2025-07-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c09651
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.18
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Nankai University
- Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province
- Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City
- Liaoning Revitalization Talents Program
- National Key Research and Development Program of China
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research