Microalgae-Based Semiartificial Photosynthesis: Strategies, Applications, and Future Prospects

Microalgae, as efficient photosynthetic microorganisms, hold great potential for solar-driven carbon fixation and sustainable biomanufacturing. However, their performance is limited by spectral mismatch, inefficient electron transport, and diffusion-limited CO2 assimilation. Recent developments in microalgae-based semiartificial photosynthetic systems (SAPSs) combine living algal cells with engineered abiotic components to address these challenges without in vitro photosynthesis reconstruction. In SAPSs, microalgae provide carbon fixation, metabolic flexibility, and regulatory adaptability, while functional materials optimize photon utilization, electron transfer, CO2 concentration, and environmental robustness. This review critically examines the biological foundations of microalgae–material integration, strategies for optical enhancement, electron-transfer regulation, CO2 concentration, and stress mitigation. It discusses applications in solar fuel production, biomanufacturing, environmental remediation, and biohybrid microrobots. Despite advancements, key challenges remain, such as energy coupling at bio-abiotic interfaces, lack of standardized performance metrics, long-term stability, and sustainability concerns with nanomaterials. Future SAPS progress will require an integrated approach combining materials science, synthetic biology, and life-cycle assessment (LCA) to scale laboratory efficiencies into environmentally sustainable technologies for carbon-neutral energy conversion and biomanufacturing.