Abstract
This review presents a comprehensive summary of the recent development in semi-artificial photosynthesis, a biological-material hybrid approach to solar-to-chemical conversion that provides new concepts to shape a sustainable future fuelled by solar energy. We begin with a brief introduction to natural and artificial photosynthesis, followed by a discussion of the motivation and rationale behind semi-artificial photosynthesis. Then, we summarise how various enzymes can be combined with synthetic materials for light-driven water oxidation, H2 evolution, CO2 reduction, and chemical synthesis more broadly. In the following section, we discuss the strategies to incorporate microorganisms in photocatalytic and (photo)electrochemical systems to produce fuels and chemicals with renewable sources. Finally, we outline emerging analytical techniques to study the bio-material hybrid systems and propose unexplored research opportunities in the field of semi-artificial photosynthesis.
Highlights
The consequences of anthropogenic carbon emissions call for innovative strategies to develop renewable energy technologies
From the electrode surface (Fig. 6c). This problem can be mitigated by using diffusional mediators such as 2,6-dichloro1,4-benzoquinone (DCBQ, Em = 0.32 V vs. SHE, pH 7.0) to shuttle electrons from the QB site to the electrode (Fig. 6c).[103]. This mediated electron transfer (MET), in biological and artificial systems, comes at an expense in both energetics and kinetics, as extra energy is needed to drive the redox turnover of electron mediators and the diffusion of mediators is likely to govern the overall rate of electron transfer
There are three phylogenic classes of H2ases termed according to the metallic centres at their active sites: [NiFe]–H2ase, [FeFe]–H2ase and [Fe]–H2ase, but only [NiFe]– and [FeFe]–H2ases incorporate [Fe–S] clusters as electron relay centres and can catalyse the reversible proton reduction to H2.136 These [Fe–S] clusters are spaced 10–14 Å apart, which permits sequential electron tunnelling towards the active sites at a rate (107 sÀ1) faster than catalysis.[137,138]
Summary
The consequences of anthropogenic carbon emissions call for innovative strategies to develop renewable energy technologies. Artificial photosynthesis is a process that converts solar energy into fuels and it thereby circumvents these drawbacks by storing solar energy in chemical bonds using synthetic light absorbers and catalysts.[3,4] While synthetic
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