Unveiling\nthe Critical Role of Spatial Organization\non Enzymatic Cascade Reactions in a Crystalline Framework with Hierarchical\nPorosity

Enzymatic cascades are critical for energy conversion\nand chemical\ntransformations in living organisms. Their ecofriendly nature and\nhigh selectivity in catalysis make them promising candidates for improving\nchemical transformations in cell-free systems. However, their applications\nhave been limited by their poor stability. Immobilized cascades, which\ncan enhance activity, remain underexplored due to challenges such\nas ambiguous support structures and difficulties in controlling enzyme\ndistribution. In this work, we employed NU-1510, a novel metal–organic\nframework (MOF) with a crystalline hierarchical pore structure, to\nstabilize an enzyme cascade that oxidizes ethanol to acetaldehyde\nand subsequently to acetic acid. The impact of enzyme spatial organization\non the cascade kinetics was further investigated thanks to the crystalline\nhierarchical pore structure of the MOF host. These findings pave the\nway for the design of advanced biocatalytic systems with improved\nefficiency and durability, potentially transforming applications in\nsustainable chemical manufacturing and energy conversion.