Chloroplast-mimicking nanoreactor for enhanced CO2 electrocatalysis

A biomimetic nanoreactor that can mimick the chloroplasts in green plants is constructed through the self-assembly of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) bilayer on the surface of a gold nanorod (GNR) electrocatalyst. The CTAB bilayer of the nanoreactor imitates the chloroplast membrane to allow the selective transport of CO 2 and protons to the GNR core and the GNR core functions like Rubisco enzymes in chloroplast to catalyze CO 2 reduction reaction. Consequently, selective and efficient electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to CO is achieved on the chloroplast-like nanoreactor. Schematic structures of chloroplast and our chloroplast-mimicking nanoreactor for CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). (a) The ingenious structure of chloroplast allows the selective transport of different species through phospholipid bilayer (chloroplast membrane) and subsequent photosynthetic CO 2 fixation via Rubisco enzyme catalysis occurring in chloroplast stroma. (b) Illustrations of our biomimetic design that employ cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) bilayer-modified gold nanorod catalysts for CO 2 RR in aqueous solution.