近日，南开大学杨志谋团队报道了肽光催化下氮转化为氨的策略。相关论文于2026年3月19日发表在《德国应用化学》杂志上。

自组装肽在生物医学领域具有广阔前景，但在催化领域却鲜有应用，更遑论应用于高能耗的催化固氮反应。

研究组发现，含氮共组装N3y肽在水溶液中展现出将氮气光转化为氨的高选择性催化性能。即使在自然光照条件下，该共组装体系每摩尔N3y在6小时内（产率61.8 mg gcat^-1 h^-1）的氨生成转换数可达43.9。该氮气光还原过程与水氧化相耦合，无需添加牺牲剂。研究组还检测到氮还原的另一产物——联氨，表明氮气分子在两个氮原子上以交替方式发生对称性质子化反应。

附：英文原文

Title: Photoconversion of Nitrogen to Ammonia by Peptidophotocatalyst

Author: Yuanzhi Zhong, Lihua Mo, Ying Yi, Na Qiao, Yu Zhang, Ling Wang, Yan Xiong, Xiao-Yi Yi, Zhimou Yang

Issue&Volume: 2026-03-19

Abstract: Self-assembling peptides are promising in the biomedical field; however, they are rarely used in the field of catalysis, let alone for catalytic nitrogen fixation, which has a high energy demand. Here, we demonstrate that a nitrogen coassembling N3y peptide displays highly selective catalytic performance for photoconversion of nitrogen to ammonia in aqueous solutions. Even under natural light conditions, the coassembly system reaches a turnover number of 43.9 based on one molar of N3y within 6 h (61.8 mg gcat1 h1) for ammonia formation. This process of nitrogen photoreduction is coupled with water oxidation without the need for sacrificial molecules. Hydrazine, another product of nitrogen reduction, is detected in this photocatalytic system, suggesting that protonation symmetrically occurs on both nitrogen atoms of nitrogen in an alternating fashion.

DOI: 10.1002/anie.202515617

Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202515617