Constructing a Coupling Layer of an Inorganic Catalyst and a Conjugate Polymer for Efficient Electron Transport at the Biotic/Abiotic Interface

A comodified strategy was developed to connect inorganic catalysts with conjugated polymers and outer-membrane proteins, where an in situ growth method was used to stimulate synergistic interactions fully and thus enhance photocatalytic performance of the biocatalysts. The biocatalyst bCdS/PA@MR-1 decolored low-concentration dyestuff wastewater continuously, with decoloring completed within 15 min. Under visible-light irradiation, the photoelectrons from cadmium sulfide and bioelectrons in bCdS/PA@MR-1 formed a fast electron flow, and electron transport occurred in the comodified structure. Moreover, the separation of photoholes can effectively promote the properties of bioelectrons produced by the bacteria Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 that were used to clean the photoholes to prevent damage or corrosion, thereby ensuring efficient decolorization of anthraquinone and azo dyes. After decolorization in dyes, the activity of bCdS/PA@MR-1 was rejuvenated, with the OD600 value reaching 92.7% of that of the initial, illustrating advantages such as long shelf life and sustained renewable catalytic activity of the bCdS/PA@MR-1 biocatalyst.