Water‐Processable Polymer Nanoparticles: a New Visible‐Light Photosensitizer for Artificial Photosynthesis
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Solar‐energy‐based bio‐ and photocatalytic hybrid systems offer a sustainable approach to reducing carbon emissions by converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemicals and fuels, such as carbon monoxide (CO), formate, or methanol. A key strategy involves coenzyme‐dependent oxidoreductases, necessitating efficient and cost‐effective coenzyme regeneration methods using economical energy sources. Herein, the oxidized form of methylviologen dichloride (MV2+) is reduced to MV•+ under visible light using triethanolamine (TEOA) as an electron donor and conjugated‐polymer‐based water‐processable nanoparticles (WPNPs) as both photosensitizer and mediator, achieving a regeneration efficiency of ≈95%. The regenerated cofactor enables the enzymatic conversion of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) to formate via Candida boidinii formate dehydrogenase (CbFDH) biocatalyzed reaction, with a yield of ≈20%. Formate production is validated by adding nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), which is reduced to NADH thanks to the synthesized formate and CbFDH, thus leading to a simple NADH regeneration method. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first successful use of conjugated polymers in the form of WPNPs as both photosensitizer and mediator in a photocatalytic system for selective coenzyme regeneration, facilitating an efficient bicarbonate‐to‐formate conversion.
Source: ChemSusChem
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4410020824