Rice Scientists Use Light to Trigger Biocatalysis

Scientists at Rice University use light and turn it into heat to trigger important biochemical reactions on the nanoscale. Michael Wong and team used enzymes derived from thermophiles, microbes that thrive at high temperatures, and combined with plasmonic gold nanoparticles. When exposed in near-infrared light, the particles heat up and the enzymes are turned on to do their functions. Because heating only occurs at a specific location, the environment stays cooler and thus the process allows chemical processes to occur at lower temperatures. According to the scientist, the process is worth investing because of the potential energy savings. For instance, the need for a big boiler to produce steam can be replaced with an energy-efficient light bulb or sunlight from an open window.

Read the articles at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nn3048445 and http://news.rice.edu/2012/12/13/rice-uses-light-to-remotely-trigger-biochemical-reactions/ for more information.