Semi-Artificial Photosynthetic Machinery for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Conversion.

Huang, Shuting; Ren, Qiuyuan; Zhang, Tianxing; Xu, Qingfeng; Li, Najun; Li, Hua; Wang, Tao; Chen, Dongyun et al. · Adv Mater · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Producing value-added chemicals directly from CO<sub>2</sub> powered by sunlight offers a sustainable approach to addressing both environmental and economic challenges. However, the inherent chemical stability of CO<sub>2</sub> poses a grand challenge in achieving highly active and selective CO<sub>2</sub> conversion. Herein, we develop a biohybrid semi-artificial photosynthetic system that integrates carbonic anhydrase (CA) and a CuZn nanozyme photosensitizer with a dendritic polymer (PPA) for the sustainable transformation of CO<sub>2</sub> into dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The PPA-wrapped CA/CuZn can capture CO<sub>2</sub> to form active intermediates. Through photo-induced charge transfer under visible light illumination, the CA/CuZn@PPA system achieves 100% selectivity for DMC production at room temperature and low CO<sub>2</sub> pressure.