Integration of Multi-component MOF-based Photocatalyst in Liposome Nanoreactors

Objective

The European Union’s ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 requires us to transition from fossil fuels to sustainable forms of energy. Artificial photosynthesis, which converts solar energy into chemical fuels using abundant resources like CO2 and H2O, represents a real alternative. However, current photocatalytic systems suffer from inefficiencies in sunlight capture, charge recombination, and poor stability in aqueous media. The IMMPACT project proposes a pioneering strategy: compartmentalising supramolecular catalysts based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), photosensitisers, sacrificial reagents, and charge carriers within liposome-based nanoreactors. This innovative approach leverages supramolecular receptors to facilitate transmembrane transport of MOF building blocks, allowing unprecedented control over the bottom-up assembly of MOFs within compartmentalised nanostructures. Using liposomes as bio-inspired nanoreactors will enhance the stability of MOF-based photocatalysts in aqueous media, improve sunlight-absorption efficiency, and accelerate the charge separation by bringing the catalytic centre and the photosensitiser into close proximity. This groundbreaking research merges material science, supramolecular chemistry, and catalysis to drive the boundaries of solar-fuel technology. The success of the IMMPACT project will not only advance our understanding of compartmentalised photocatalytic systems but also mark the first use of ionophore-facilitated ion transport for nanostructuring hybrid materials, thereby paving the way for new horizons in nanomaterial development and sustainable energy technologies.