One‐pot immobilization of formate dehydrogenase on silica nanoparticles based on catechol chemistry with or without polyethyleneimine

Abstract Converting carbon dioxide into formic acid with formate dehydrogenase (FDH) as a catalyst is a gentle and eco‐friendly process that not only conserves energy and reduces emissions but transforms waste into valuable resource. Enzyme immobilization is a common strategy for improving the stability and recyclability of enzyme, however, the procedures are usually complicated that include surface modification and binding reactions in order to form reliable linkages. Co‐deposition of polydopamine (PDA) with polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a popular surface modification approach in versatile fields, but their co‐deposition with enzymes is rarely reported. Herein, one‐pot immobilization of FDH on SiO 2 nanoparticles based on catechol chemistry was attempted for the first time with or without PEI, and the resultant immobilized enzymes, FDH/PDA/PEI‐SiO 2 and FDH/PDA‐SiO 2 , were characterized, and the effects of the composition and deposition conditions on the catalytic performance were investigated. FDH/PDA‐SiO 2 exhibited a higher apparent specific activity than FDH/PDA/PEI‐SiO 2 , which was separately 0.167 and 0.136 mM/h/mg. The activity recovery rate was 464% and 378% of that of free enzyme. After 5 cycles, their relative activity was 82.3% and 87.4%. This research is significant in presenting a simple and high‐efficient one‐pot immobilization method that can be extended to other kinds of enzymes.