Toward Next-Generation Semiartificial Photosynthesis: Multidisciplinary Engineering of Biohybrid Systems
Jie Ye, Wenzhi Gu, Jing Hu, Li Chen, Chaohui Yang, Jiangtao Gao, Shungui Zhou
Abstract
Semiartificial photosynthesis has witnessed remarkable progress over the past decade, driven by the integration of diverse biological systems with synthetic materials, ushering in the first generation of biohybrid platforms (Biohybrids 1.0). While previous reviews have extensively examined whole-cell biohybrid systems and the fundamental mechanisms underlying solar-to-chemical energy conversion, a critical knowledge gap remains in the rational optimization of their three core components: photosensitizers, microbial partners, and solar energy input. These interdependent elements collectively determine the efficiency, stability, and scalability of biohybrid platforms. To address this gap, this review offers a comprehensive and structured overview of multidisciplinary strategies for the development of next-generation biohybrid platforms (Biohybrids 2.0). It highlights recent advances in photosensitizer design, microbial selection and engineering, energy sources and conversion strategies, interface control and optimization, and state-of-the-art characterization methodologies, while providing a comprehensive summary of a diverse and expanding range of emerging applications. The review also offers a critical appraisal of current limitations and proposes forward-looking research directions that may enable transformative progress toward Biohybrids 3.0. Altogether, this integrative perspective outlines a coherent framework for the rational design of robust, efficient, and application-ready semiartificial photosynthetic systems for real-world and industrial-scale deployment.