Boric Acid‐Fueled ATP Synthesis by F<sub>o</sub>F<sub>1</sub>ATP Synthase Reconstituted in a Supramolecular Architecture
Xia Xu, Jinbo Fei, Youqian Xu, Guangle Li, Weiguang Dong, Huimin Xue, Junbai Li
Abstract
Significant strides toward producing biochemical fuels have been achieved by mimicking natural oxidative and photosynthetic phosphorylation. Here, different from these strategies, we explore boric acid as a fuel for tuneable synthesis of energy-storing molecules in a cell-like supramolecular architecture. Specifically, a proton locked in boric acid is released in a modulated fashion by the choice of polyols. As a consequence, controlled proton gradients across the lipid membrane are established to drive ATP synthase embedded in the biomimetic architecture, which facilitates tuneable ATP production. This strategy paves a unique route to achieve highly efficient bioenergy conversion, holding broad applications in synthesis and devices that require biochemical fuels.