Boosting the efficiency of biohybrid Artificial Photosynthesis in Solar Fuels Production

Artificial photosynthesis (AP) is a key technology for a sustainable energy future, as it has the potential to replace fossil resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Using sunlight, it converts abundant resources – water and CO₂ – into energy-rich chemical compounds, thereby providing a pathway to store renewable energy in chemical form. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, this approach is based on coupling two central reactions: light-driven water oxidation, in which water is split into oxygen, electrons, and protons, coupled to CO₂ reduction, in which chemical energy carriers such as formate, methanol, or other carbon-based chemical building blocks are produced.

A major advantage of artificial photosynthesis is its ability to convert and store solar energy in chemical form. Unlike intermittent renewable sources such as solar and wind power, this enables a stable and reliable energy supply, even when sunlight or wind is unavailable.

Currently, a range of artificial photosynthesis systems are under development, each with different levels of maturity and application potential. Together, they represent a cornerstone of future energy systems and sustainable resource management.

The EU-funded project SUNGATE, coordinated by Fraunhofer IME, is developing an innovative, circular biohybrid technology for the scalable production of solar C1 fuels.

To enable real-world applications, three key challenges must be addressed: improving the efficiency of energy conversion, enabling scalable production of biohybrid systems, and ensuring long-term stability of biological components. While SUNGATE lays the foundation, these aspects remain critical for industrial implementation.

A PhD project funded by the Bosch Research Foundation specifically targets these challenges. The research focuses on enhancing the stability of CO₂-reducing enzymes, optimizing the production of photoactive complexes, and improving their immobilization on electrodes as well as electron transfer efficiency.

The project is based at RWTH Aachen University and carried out in close collaboration with Fraunhofer IME.