Nitrogen fixation with bacteria biohybrids

Nitrogen (N₂) fixation stands as an indispensable natural process for the survival of all life forms on Earth. Within the grand tapestry of the N₂ cycle, biological N₂ fixation plays a vital role. But its optimal manifestation may be constrained by the metabolic generation of reducing equivalents from chemical substrates. Therefore, it becomes important to propose reasoned and feasible strategies to improve the production of reducing equivalents and thereby enhance N₂-fixation efficiency. In a recent publication within Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Bazan and coworkers reported a light-driven N₂-fixing bacteria biohybrid system supported by a broad light-harvesting conjugated oligoelectrolyte (COE-IC) and non-photosynthetic bacteria of Azotobacter vinelandii (A. vinelandii). The introduction of the optically active COE-IC enhances the conversion of N₂ to ammonia (NH₃) and improves the photoinduced generation of biomass and L-amino acids of biological N₂ fixation systems.