Photo-induced hydrogen production in a helical peptide incorporating a [FeFe] hydrogenase active site mimic.

There is growing interest in the development of hydrogenase mimics for solar fuel production. Here, we present a bioinspired mimic designed by anchoring a diiron hexacarbonyl cluster to a model helical peptide via an artificial dithiol amino acid. The [FeFe]-peptide complex catalyses photo-induced production of hydrogen in water.