Beyond natural synthesis via solar-decoupled biohybrid photosynthetic system

Abstract

Inspired by the solar energy storage process during photosynthesis, we report herein a solar-decoupled photosynthetic biohybrid strategy through integrating a persistent photocatalyst with photoautotrophic microbes for sustainable and all-weather biomanufacturing, allowing for overcoming the intrinsic intermittent nature of solar energy availability by introducing energy storage and release processes. The results demonstrate that the apparent photo conversion efficiency (APCE) for of the persistent catalyst/R. palustris hybrid system reaches 8.30%, much higher than the 4.36% observed in bare R. palustris. Additionally, the proposed solar-decoupled biohybrid strategy not only shows considerable potential in coupling the practical power plant for the capture and utilization of CO₂ from the flue gas but also exhibits universal applicability in different photosynthetic microorganisms. This concept-proving research offers new ideas to extend photocatalysis reactions without in situ irradiation and could pave new ways for sustainable solar energy utilization as well as biomanufacturing in space, where solar energy might be limited.