Evaluation of biocatalysts for artificial photosynthesis

Catalyzing the light-driven reduction of carbon dioxide and/or protons is an important approach to storing light energy in the form of chemical fuels or fuel precursors. Because of the high interest in developing tunable systems for artificial photosynthesis that are compatible with water, the use of biocatalysts for fuel production has emerged as an active research direction in this field. In these systems, biocatalysts are combined with a photosensitizer and an electron donor to yield an active system. Engineered biocatalysts have shown high activity particularly toward hydrogen evolution and carbon dioxide reduction to carbon monoxide. Here, we present best practices for investigating these light-driven reactions, including selection of reaction components, optimization of reaction conditions, and analysis of reaction products.