General framework for enzyme-photo-coupled catalytic system toward carbon dioxide conversion

Abstract

High emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) has aroused global concern due to the 'greenhouse effect'. The conversion of CO₂ to valuable chemicals/materials is an indispensable route toward 'carbon neutrality'. Enzyme-photo-coupled catalytic systems (EPCCSs), integrating synthetic library of semiconductor photocatalyst and natural database of enzyme, have emerged as a green and powerful platform toward CO₂ conversion. Herein, we discuss the recent progress in design and application of EPCCSs for CO₂ conversion from the perspective of pathway engineering, reaction engineering and system engineering. We firstly summarize the explored pathways of EPCCSs for converting CO₂ to C₁ and C₂₊ products. Secondly, we discuss the matching of kinetics between photocatalytic and enzymatic reactions in EPCCSs. Thirdly, we unveil the complex interplay between photocatalytic and enzymatic modules, and further demonstrate the strategy of compartmentalization to eliminate the negative interactions. Lastly, we conclude with the perspective on the opportunities and challenges of EPCCSs for CO₂ conversion.