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Lookup NU author(s): Cathal Burns, Dr Elisabetta Arca, Professor Elizabeth GibsonORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026. The conversion of greenhouse CO2 into long-chain chemicals remains a major challenge in artificial photosynthesis. Here, we present a novel semi-biological platform that integrates microbial photocatalysis with fermentation to produce fatty acids from CO2. The process begins with light-driven CO2 reduction to acetate and ethanol, enabled by a photobiohybrid composed of the earth-abundant, non-toxic semiconductor Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) and the CO2-fixing electrotroph Sporomusa ovata (S. ovata). In this CZTS–S. ovata hybrid, the CZTS nanoparticles act as light absorbers, generating reducing equivalents (electrons/H2) that drive microbial CO2 conversion. Under continuous illumination for five days, the system exhibited excellent biocompatibility and reusability, yielding acetate (1.035 ± 0.05 mmol g−1) and ethanol (0.967 ± 0.04 mmol g−1). These C2 intermediates were subsequently upgraded via microbial chain elongation by Clostridium kluyveri (C. kluyveri), producing C4 butyric acid (2.78 ± 0.2 µmol), C6 caproic acid (1.08 ± 0.3 µmol), and H2 (2.4 ± 0.4 µmol). This integrated photocatalysis–fermentation strategy showcases a sustainable route for solar-to-chemical energy conversion, offering a promising solution for carbon valorisation through the convergence of materials science and biotechnology.
Author(s): Rishan M, Punathil P, Burns C, Arca E, do Nascimento J, Lazarov VK, Zoppi G, Hayes M, Gibson EA, Kalathil S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Materials Horizons
Year: 2026
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 11/02/2026
Acceptance date: 30/01/2026
Date deposited: 23/02/2026
ISSN (print): 2051-6347
ISSN (electronic): 2051-6355
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
URL: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5mh02330k
DOI: 10.1039/d5mh02330k
Data Access Statement: All experimental data supporting this study are available within the article and its supplementary information (SI). Additional raw datasets and protocols can be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Supplementary information is available. See DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5mh02330k
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