Nature‐Inspired Multifunctional Nano‐Microreactors: Pd Nanoclusters‐Integrated Bioengineered Skin Channels for Effectively Overcoming Product Inhibition and Hydrogen Adherence Challenges During Hydrogen Production
Nature-inspired design principles offer powerful strategies for engineering advanced catalytic materials with multifunctional microenvironment proximal to active sites. Here, bioengineered multifunctional skin nano-microchannels (N─MCs) integrated with Pd nanoclusters (Pd/N─MCs) are presented for the first time for remarkably preventing challenges of product inhibition and hydrogen adherence during its generation from ammonia borane (AB). Pd/N─MCs, with its peculiar mechanism of action, differentiate it from all the reported catalytic systems till date, which are known to be affected/deactivated by product inhibition and hydrogen adherence. The N─MCs feature a unique hydrophilic-aerophobic environment and tunable surface chemistry, effectively mitigating product inhibition and hydrogen bubble adherence during its performance. The lysyl-rich matrix of hierarchically-assembled collagen facilitates AB uptake and activation at Pd sites, while promoting borate desorption to sustain high catalytic turnover. The aqueous microchannels, with a hydrogen bubble contact angle of ≈153°, destabilize generated hydrogen gas bubbles and facilitate their release. Additionally, exhaustive methylation of lysyl amino groups results in positively charged [Pd/N─MCs]⁺, enhancing microenvironment polarity and achieving a high turnover frequency (TOF) of 3589 h<sup>-1</sup>. This nature-inspired platform bridges biological precision with materials science, providing a scalable and sustainable strategy for multifunctional nano-microreactors and advancing nature-inspired systems for efficient hydrogen production.
Authors
- Rajani Kumar Borah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3406-686X)
- Ansari Palliyarayil
- Amit Ashok Vernekar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5907-6921)
Institutions
- Central Leather Research Institute (IN)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-09-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202507222
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Hydrogen Storage and Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.52