Electrocatalytically functional multilayer assembly of sulfite oxidase and cytochrome c

An electrocatalytically functional multilayer has been designed using two proteins, cytochrome c and sulfite oxidase, and a polyelectrolyte (polyaniline sulfonate). The two proteins were co-immobilized on the surface of a gold electrode in alternating layers by electrostatic interactions using the layer-by-layer technique. The formation of this fully electro-active multilayer is characterized by quartz crystal microbalance and electrochemical experiments. The electro-catalytic characterization of the device containing up to 12 layers is based on generation of an oxidation current after sulfite addition. Besides the electron-transfer mechanism, the role of the different components in the electron-transport chain is clarified. Kinetic data were extracted to characterize the multilayer function. This artificial multilayer assembly is expected to be useful in the biosensor and biofuel cell development.