Insights from Enzymatic Catalysis: A Path towards Bioinspired High-Performance Electrocatalysts

Enzymes, especially some metalloenzymes, are exceptional catalysts for redox reactions with technological applications in several fields, including energy conversion systems and producing fuels and value-added chemicals. Because of that, they have inspired the development of synthetic catalysts to obtain high-performance materials. However, several fundamental aspects should be better understood to achieve this goal, such as enzyme catalysis and the role of the three-dimensional catalytic site. Therefore, this review addresses key structural and activity aspects of some remarkable metalloenzymes and discusses three-dimensional catalysis as an approach to enzyme catalysis. Also, the case of the multicopper oxidase enzymes is shown as an example of how the three-dimensional coordination environment of the copper ions in the active site can impact catalysis.