Electrochemical catalysis by crosslinked films of cobalt reconstituted myoglobin and poly(l-lysine) in a bicontinuous microemulsion

Covalently linked films of cobalt-protoporphyrin IX reconstituted myoglobin (CoMb) and poly-l-lysine (PLL) were built on the surfaces of oxidized carbon cloth electrodes for evaluation of catalytic applications. These films were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, circular dichroism and voltammetry in a bicontinuous cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) microemulsion. Spectroscopy of the film suggested that the protein retained its native conformation. Voltammetry of the films gave well defined, quasi-reversible CoIII/CoII and CoII/CoI peaks in the microemulsion. Peaks for the CoIII/CoII redox couple of CoMb were observed for the first time. The CoMb–PLL films catalyzed the debromination of ethylene dibromide (EDB) and trans-1,2-dibromocyclohexane (DBCH) in the microemulsion.