Electron Shuttles in Microbial Photoelectrochemical Systems: Cytotoxicity and Photostability

Electron shuttles are pivotal in enhancing the conversion efficiency at the biotic-abiotic interface within microbial photoelectrochemical systems. Nevertheless, the potentially toxic effects of electron shuttles on microbial cells and their instability when exposed to light are often overlooked. This concept highlights the attention paid to electron shuttles in microbial photoelectrochemical systems, such as the cytotoxicity, the photoexcited state, and the photostability. Furthermore, it offers theoretical guidance for selecting electron shuttles to optimize sustainable energy production and environmental remediation. This concept focuses on the often ignored cytotoxicity and photostability of electron shuttles in microbial photoelectrochemical systems. An in-depth exploration of these concepts will help to reveal the accurate interfacial electron transfer pathways and provide significant insights into optimizing the performance of microbial photoelectrochemical systems. ESred: The reduced-state electron shuttles; ESox: The oxidized-state electron shuttles; CB: Conduction band; VB: Valence band; PET Chain: Photosynthetic electron transfer chain. image