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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Catalysts

Electron Transfer in Enzyme-Photo-Coupled Catalytic Systems: Mechanisms and Regulation Strategies

  • Feng Wang1
  • Shuang Zhang1
  • Ling Xu1
  • Shuhao Huo1
  • Bin Zou1
  • Anzhou Ma2,3
  • Guoqiang Zhuang2
  1. 1School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
  2. 2Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
  3. 3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Abstract

Enzyme-photo-coupled catalytic systems (EPCSs) integrate the light-harvesting capacity of photocatalytic modules with the selectivity of enzymatic modules to enable light-driven green synthesis, where electron transfer serves as the central bridge linking photon input to enzymatic turnover. This review focuses on electron transfer mechanisms and their regulatory strategies in photoenzymatic catalysis. In addition to natural photoenzymes, redox enzymes such as P450, laccase, and glucose oxidase are also applied in EPCSs, and the electron transfer pathways mainly include cofactor-dependent and cofactor-independent routes. Porous photocatalytic materials generate excited-state electrons under illumination, and this review describes three types of electron transfer in different electrode materials. In photoenzymatic catalysis, the directed transfer of photocatalytically generated electrons to enzymes proceeds via cofactor-mediated, direct-contact, and electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex-type pathways, and their transfer mechanisms, distance dependence, and application scenarios are compared. Optimization strategies are reviewed from the perspectives of enzyme engineering, photocatalytic material engineering, and interface engineering. Finally, future directions, such as AI-driven photoenzyme design and artificial electron chain construction, are proposed. This work provides a theoretical framework for a deeper understanding of electron transfer behavior in photoenzymatic catalysis and for the design of highly efficient hybrid catalytic systems.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{wang2026electron,
  title = {{Electron Transfer in Enzyme-Photo-Coupled Catalytic Systems: Mechanisms and Regulation Strategies}},
  author = {Feng Wang and Shuang Zhang and Ling Xu and Shuhao Huo and Bin Zou and Anzhou Ma and Guoqiang Zhuang},
  journal = {Catalysts},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.3390/catal16100881},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/10/881},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Electron Transfer in Enzyme-Photo-Coupled Catalytic Systems: Mechanisms and Regulation Strategies
AU  - Feng Wang
AU  - Shuang Zhang
AU  - Ling Xu
AU  - Shuhao Huo
AU  - Bin Zou
AU  - Anzhou Ma
AU  - Guoqiang Zhuang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
JO  - Catalysts
DO  - 10.3390/catal16100881
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/10/881
AB  - Enzyme-photo-coupled catalytic systems (EPCSs) integrate the light-harvesting capacity of photocatalytic modules with the selectivity of enzymatic modules to enable light-driven green synthesis, where electron transfer serves as the central bridge linking photon input to enzymatic turnover. This review focuses on electron transfer mechanisms and their regulatory strategies in photoenzymatic catalysis. In addition to natural photoenzymes, redox enzymes such as P450, laccase, and glucose oxidase are also applied in EPCSs, and the electron transfer pathways mainly include cofactor-dependent and cofactor-independent routes. Porous photocatalytic materials generate excited-state electrons under illumination, and this review describes three types of electron transfer in different electrode materials. In photoenzymatic catalysis, the directed transfer of photocatalytically generated electrons to enzymes proceeds via cofactor-mediated, direct-contact, and electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex-type pathways, and their transfer mechanisms, distance dependence, and application scenarios are compared. Optimization strategies are reviewed from the perspectives of enzyme engineering, photocatalytic material engineering, and interface engineering. Finally, future directions, such as AI-driven photoenzyme design and artificial electron chain construction, are proposed. This work provides a theoretical framework for a deeper understanding of electron transfer behavior in photoenzymatic catalysis and for the design of highly efficient hybrid catalytic systems.
SN  - 2073-4344
ER  -