Interface-engineered iron single-atom biohybrids for efficient CO2-to-bioplastic conversion

Abstract

Abstract A hybrid system combining water electrolysis and H 2 autotrophic microorganism enables sustainable CO 2 valorization, but is hindered by low H 2 bioavailability and sluggish hydrogenase kinetics. Here, we report an interface-engineered inorganic–biological biohybrid, constructed by covalently anchoring iron single-atom catalysts (ISA) onto Cupriavidus necator ( C.N @ISA) via click chemistry. The ISA anchored interface generates a localized H 2 -rich microenvironment, accelerates H 2 dissociation, while the synergy between ISA and polyethylene glycol-phenylboronate linker stabilizes the inorganic-biological hybrid interface and promotes electron/proton transfer across microbial membrane. These coupled effects boost reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) regeneration and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. In addition, ISA exhibits nanozyme-like activity, scavenging reactive oxygen species to protect cell viability. As a result, C.N @ISA achieves CO 2 -to-bioplastic poly- β -hydroxybutyrate production of 1058.8 mg L −1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 42.0%. Integrating theoretical calculations, electrochemical analysis, and transcriptomics confirms that ISA simultaneously enriches and activates H 2 while reinforcing intracellular metabolism, offering a generalizable strategy for carbon-negative biomanufacturing.