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Volume 117
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Artificial photosynthesis of L-alanine via an enzyme-photo-coupled catalytic system based on Mo/UN(Zr)
Chen Tao a, Shilong Chang a, Xinyu Mao a, Yu Chen a, Yexin Dai a b d *, Jiafu Shi a b d e *, Zhongyi Jiang b c d e
a School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
b State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
c School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
d Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
e Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Fuzhou, 350207, China
10.1016/j.partic.2026.08.013
Volume 117, October 2026, Pages 390-396
Received 11 July 2026, Revised 29 July 2026, Accepted 11 August 2026, Available online 12 August 2026, Version of Record 20 August 2026.
E-mail: daiyexinf@tju.edu.cn; shijiafu@tju.edu.cn
Highlights

• Rh immobilized on Mo/UN(Zr) promotes interfacial electron transfer, achieving the NADH regeneration yield of 55.1%.

• Optimized reaction conditions mitigate photo-induced enzyme deactivation, preserving 58.5% of the initial AlaDH activity.

• The enzyme-photo-coupled catalytic system converts pyruvate into L-alanine with a 1.38 mM yield under light-dark cycles.


Abstract

Coupling photocatalytic cofactor regeneration with enzymatic amination offers a direct route to artificial photosynthesis of L-amino acids. However, the overall efficiency and stability of such systems hinge critically on the photophysical properties of photocatalysts and the compatibility between the enzymatic and photocatalytic modules. Herein, we developed an enzyme-photo-coupled catalytic system incorporating Mo/UN(Zr)-Rh for the artificial photosynthesis of L-alanine. The photocatalytic module employing Mo/UN(Zr)-Rh achieved an NADH regeneration efficiency of 55.1%, which is 1.8-fold and 1.2-fold higher than those of UN(Zr) and Mo/UN(Zr), respectively, along with excellent stability. The pH and the concentration of triethanolamine (TEOA) were optimized to enhance the compatibility between the photocatalytic and enzymatic modules, thus effectively maintaining the structural integrity and catalytic activity of the enzyme. An L-alanine yield of 1.38 mM was obtained under light-dark cycling conditions, demonstrating a promising strategy for sustainable amino acid production.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Artificial photosynthesis; L-Alanine synthesis; Photocatalysis; NADH
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