Whole-Cell-Based Photosynthetic Biohybrid Systems for Energy and Environmental Applications

Chempluschem. 2021 Jul;86(7):1021-1036. doi: 10.1002/cplu.202100171.

Abstract

With the increasing awareness of sustainable development, energy and environment are becoming two of the most important issues of concern to the world today. Whole-cell-based photosynthetic biohybrid systems (PBSs), an emerging interdisciplinary field, are considered as attractive biosynthetic platforms with great prospects in energy and environment, combining the superiorities of semiconductor materials with high energy conversion efficiency and living cells with distinguished biosynthetic capacity. This review presents a systematic discussion on the synthesis strategies of whole-cell-based PBSs that demonstrate a promising potential for applications in sustainable solar-to-chemical conversion, including light-facilitated carbon dioxide reduction and biohydrogen production. In the end, the explicit perspectives on the challenges and future directions in this burgeoning field are discussed.

Keywords: biohybrids; carbon dioxide reduction; hydrogen production; photosynthesis; semiconductors.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / chemistry*
  • Cadmium Compounds / chemistry*
  • Carbon Dioxide / chemistry*
  • Electron Transport
  • Hydrogen / chemistry*
  • Light
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Photosensitizing Agents / chemistry*
  • Photosynthesis
  • Quantum Dots / chemistry
  • Semiconductors
  • Solar Energy
  • Sulfides / chemistry*
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Cadmium Compounds
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Sulfides
  • cadmium sulfide
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Hydrogen

Grants and funding