Closed-loop enhancement of plant photosynthesis via biomass-derived carbon dots in biohybrids
Improving photosynthetic efficiency is pivotal for biomanufacturing and agriculture. Despite the progress on photosynthetic biohybrids integrating biocatalysts with materials, nanomaterials with increasing energy-efficiency as well as great biocompatibility and cost-effectiveness are needed. Here, we present a closed-loop strategy using biomass-derived carbon dots (CDs) for improving photosynthesis. We demonstrate that the CDs act as both light converters and photosensitizers by converting solar irradiation to red light and supplying light-excited electrons into the photosynthetic electron transfer chain. Biohybrids incorporating CDs and cyanobacteria or plant exhibited increased photosynthetic efficiency, when compared with the photosynthetic organism only. The cyanobacterial CO2-fixation rate and CO2-to-glycerol production were increased 2.4-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively, while Arabidopsis thaliana displayed a 1.8-fold increase in the fresh weight of the plant. Techno-economic analysis showed the competitive advantage of biomass-derived CDs over other nanomaterials. These CDs hold potential applications in future sustainable agriculture and solar-powered biomanufacturing. Improving photosynthetic efficiency is crucial for CO>sub<2 > /sub < -based biomanufacturing and agriculture. Here, biomass-derived carbon dots in biohybrids are shown to enhance natural photosynthesis by converting solar irradiation to red light and supplying electrons to the photosynthetic electron transfer chain.
Authors
- Yiliang Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9403-9464)
- Xiang Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0699-0351)
- Xihan Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7907-2549)
- Xueyun Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5264-9539)
- Qiao Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0958-4300)
- Rodrigo Ledesma‐Amaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2631-5898)
- Junzhong Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7751-6775)
- Weixiang Chao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4767-8455)
- Chao Zhong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6638-3652)
- Yang Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5481-5382)
- Chen Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1447-9617)
- Wei Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2422-8398)
- Wenbo Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0766-6763)
- Xuemeng Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9828-4798)
- Haitao Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9674-8288)
- Min Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4885-8829)
- Lu Lü (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8290-8834)
- Jianwei Ding
Institutions
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Yunnan University (CN)
- Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CN)
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Imperial College London (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Materials
- Published
- 2025-03-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00763-w
- Citations
- 22
- Primary Topic
- Carbon and Quantum Dots Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 11.39
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality