KAIST develops DNA-based catalyst platform to boost hydrogen production efficiency

South Korean researchers have developed a new catalyst platform capable of improving the efficiency of hydrogen and glycerol production.

KAIST announced Sunday that a research team led by Professor Park Ji-min of the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering has developed a foundational technology that coats gold nanoparticle catalyst surfaces with single-stranded DNA — flexible, single-chain DNA molecules — to precisely control the minute chemical environment surrounding the catalyst.

In electrochemical reactions used for hydrogen production and eco-friendly chemical manufacturing, performance depends not only on the catalyst itself but also on the local reaction environment — the microscopic chemical conditions formed immediately around the catalyst, including pH and ion distribution. Conventional approaches have relied on specialty polymer coatings to manage these conditions, but precisely engineering the internal structure at the nanometer scale has remained a challenge.

To address this limitation, the research team turned to single-stranded DNA. Because DNA carries a negative charge, it can influence the movement of surrounding ions — charged atoms or molecules — and its length and base sequence can be freely designed. Altering the base sequence allows precise tuning of the network structure within the DNA, enabling a customized nano-coating layer on the catalyst surface.

The team attached DNA with various base sequences to gold nanoparticle surfaces and analyzed the resulting electrochemical reactions. They found that the key factor determining catalyst performance was not the thickness of the coating layer but the internal network structure formed by the DNA base sequence.

The team applied the technology to hydrogen evolution reactions and glycerol oxidation reactions. Hydrogen production efficiency varied significantly depending on the DNA base sequence, and the selectivity for glyceric acid — used as a raw material in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals — also improved. The findings show that desired reaction outcomes can be achieved by adjusting the DNA sequence alone, without redesigning the catalyst structure from scratch.

"This technology can be used as a surface modification technique that introduces an ultrathin DNA-based coating layer onto a catalyst surface to control the reaction interface environment, rather than developing an entirely new catalyst," Park said. "We expect it to find broad application across carbon neutrality technologies, including hydrogen production and biomass conversion."

The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on May 5.