Artificial Photosynthetic Hydrogel Microspheres as a Versatile Platform for Programmable CO2 Valorization

Abstract

Carbon-negative biomanufacturing is essential for global sustainability. Artificial photosynthesis based on material-microbe hybrid systems holds promise but suffers from inefficient energy supply, phototoxicity, abiotic–biotic incompatibility, and limited product spectrum. Here, we present artificial photosynthetic hydrogel microspheres (APHM) as a versatile platform for efficient and programmable CO2 valorization. Within an alginate/carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel matrix, spatial compartmentalization integrated a COF/Pt/Cr2O3 photocatalyst (for in situ hydrogen evolution) and a light-shielded acetogen (Acetobacterium woodii) in a tailored bifunctional medium, enabling CO2-to-acetate conversion. The system operated stably under high-intensity illumination (60 mW cm–2), achieving a near-stoichiometric H2-to-acetate coupling efficiency of 88.85%. The resulting acetate served as a well-defined carbon hub, enabling seamless interface with engineered yeast for programmable synthesis of diverse products, including glucose (316 mg L–1), myo-inositol (64 mg L–1), glucosamine (24 mg L–1), sucrose (609 mg L–1), and starch (256 mg L–1). Overall, this work presents a universal, efficient route to versatile solar-to-chemical synthesis.