Molecular insights and future frontiers in cell photosensitization for solar-driven CO2 conversion

Stefano Cestellos-Blanco; Ji Min Kim; Nicholas George Watanabe; Rachel Rebecca Chan; Peidong Yang

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.102952

Molecular insights and future frontiers in cell photosensitization for solar-driven CO₂ conversion

iScience. 2021 Aug 5;24(9):102952. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102952. eCollection 2021 Sep 24.

Authors

Stefano Cestellos-Blanco¹, Ji Min Kim¹, Nicholas George Watanabe², Rachel Rebecca Chan², Peidong Yang^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
² Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
³ Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
⁴ Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

Abstract

The conversion of CO₂ to value-added products powered with solar energy is an ideal solution to establishing a closed carbon cycle. Combining microorganisms with light-harvesting nanomaterials into photosynthetic biohybrid systems (PBSs) presents an approach to reaching this solution. Metabolic pathways precisely evolved for CO₂ fixation selectively and reliably generate products. Nanomaterials harvest solar light and biocompatibly associate with microorganisms owing to similar lengths scales. Although this is a nascent field, a variety of approaches have been implemented encompassing different microorganisms and nanomaterials. To advance the field in an impactful manner, it is paramount to understand the molecular underpinnings of PBSs. In this perspective, we highlight studies inspecting charge uptake pathways and singularities in photosensitized cells. We discuss further analyses to more completely elucidate these constructs, and we focus on criteria to be met for designing photosensitizing nanomaterials. As a result, we advocate for the pairing of microorganisms with naturally occurring and highly biocompatible mineral-based semiconductor nanomaterials.

Keywords: energy engineering; global carbon cycle; microbiology; nanomaterials.

Publication types

Review