Direct biosynthesis of massive intracellular CdSe QDS across entire S. oneidensisMR‐1 for photosynthesis of hydrogen

Abstract Intracellular biosynthesis of massive quantum dots inside bacteria remains a grand challenge, with such a technology unsatisfactory due to the high toxicity of metal ions to the cell and the ultralow yield of quantum dots. Herein, a gshA ‐overexpressed Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 strain was constructed with the ability to effectively detoxify SeO 3 2− species, rendering the formation of substantial CdSe quantum dots across the entire cell entity. As such, the photoexcited electrons generated from the entire bacterium entity led to promoted electron mobilization efficiency and photoelectron‐involved cellular energy metabolism, along with the direct contact between quantum dots and hydrogenase to significantly reduce electron transfer resistance. Consequently, the constructed system disclosed distinctive performance for artificial H 2 photosynthesis, with an appreciable H 2 production rate of 32.4 μM⋅h −1 . This work opens up new avenues for the direct biosynthesis of intracellular quantum dots across the entire microbes.