This article reviews recent developments in spectroscopic analysis of electrode-immobilised enzymes under direct, unmediated electrochemical control. These methods unite the suite of spectroscopic methods available for characterisation of structural, electronic and coordination changes in proteins with the exquisite control over complex redox enzymes that can be achieved in protein film electrochemistry in which immobilised protein molecules exchange electrons directly with an electrode. This combination is particularly powerful in studies of highly active enzymes where redox states can be controlled even under fast electrocatalytic turnover. We examine examples in which UV-visible, IR, Raman and MCD spectroscopy have been combined with direct electrochemistry to probe redox-dependent chemistry, and consider future opportunities for 'direct' spectroelectrochemistry of immobilised enzymes.
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012