Photo-enzyme-membrane for ethylene glycol synthesis

The light-driven enzyme catalytic system composed of NAD(P)H regeneration and NAD(P)H-dependent enzymatic process emerges as a biomanufacturing platform for the synthesis of value-added chemicals, where the photo-responsive materials absorb solar energy to drive mass conversion. Herein, we report a photo-enzyme-membrane (PEM) catalytic system coupled with multi-enzyme cascade for ethylene glycol (EG) synthesis, in which membrane mediates energy transfer and mass conversion. Covalent organic polymer membrane as photo-membrane (PM) affords efficient NADH supply through synergistic intensification of electron transfer and proton transfer, where the bipyridine moiety mediates fast electron transfer from the generation site, and the sulfonic acid moiety facilitates proton transfer by enriching protons. Meanwhile, NADH-dependent enzyme is absorbed on PM followed by coating with a silica layer to form PEM, where the enzyme-bearing silica layer is defined as enzyme-membrane (EM). The enzymatic process is intensified by mitigating the adverse effects of PM on enzyme activity through precise regulation of EM thickness. Further, a dual-channel reactor is constructed for sustainable synthesis of EG with an initial synthesis rate of 2.43 mmol g_PEM^-1 h^-1 by continuous supply of methanol. Our study offers an efficient and durable light-driven enzyme catalytic system for the synthesis of C₂₊ from C₁ chemicals.