Optimizing light-driven ene-reductase reactions with g-C₃N₄ and electron mediators

In the realm of green chemistry and sustainable industrial processes, the integration of enzymes with photocatalytic materials offers a promising avenue for achieving efficient, light-driven catalysis while minimizing environmental impact. This study introduces an enzyme-photo-coupled catalytic system (EPCS) using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) as a photocatalyst and methyl viologen (MV²⁺) as an electron mediator to drive the reduction of 2-cyclohexen-1-one by the Old Yellow Enzyme (OYE), reducing the reliance on expensive and scarce bioelectronic carriers and demonstrating a sustainable alternative for biocatalytic applications. Furthermore, we explored the incorporation of a Pickering emulsion system to enhance mass transfer, especially in reactions involving highly concentrated substrates. This adaptation not only improves the yield of the EPCS at higher substrate concentrations but also offers a scalable and environmentally benign alternative to traditional photocatalytic systems.