Semi-artificial photosynthetic systems aim to overcome the limitations of natural and artificial photosynthesis while providing an opportunity to investigate their respective functionality. The progress and studies of these hybrid systems is the focus of this forward-looking perspective. In this Review, we discuss how enzymes have been interfaced with synthetic materials and employed for semi-artificial fuel production. In parallel, we examine how more complex living cellular systems can be recruited for in vivo fuel and chemical production in an approach where inorganic nanostructures are hybridized with photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic microorganisms. Side-by-side comparisons reveal strengths and limitations of enzyme- and microorganism-based hybrid systems, and how lessons extracted from studying enzyme hybrids can be applied to investigations of microorganism-hybrid devices. We conclude by putting semi-artificial photosynthesis in the context of its own ambitions and discuss how it can help address the grand challenges facing artificial systems for the efficient generation of solar fuels and chemicals.

半人工光合作用系统旨在克服自然和人工光合作用的局限性，同时提供研究其各自功能的机会。这些前瞻性观点的重点是这些混合动力系统的进展和研究。在这篇评论中，我们讨论了酶如何与合成材料结合并用于半人工燃料生产。同时，我们研究了如何利用无机纳米结构与光合和非光合微生物杂交的方法，募集更复杂的活细胞系统用于体内燃料和化学生产。并排比较显示了基于酶和微生物的杂交系统的优势和局限性，以及从研究酶杂种中提取的课程可如何应用于微生物混合设备的研究。最后，我们将半人工光合作用放在自己的野心中，并讨论它如何帮助应对人工系统面临的巨大挑战，以有效地生产太阳能和化学物质。