Highly efficient visible-light-driven g-C 3 N 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 hybrid photocatalysts with different weight ratios of g-C 3 N 4 were prepared by a facile in situ precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and UV−vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Under visible-light irradiation (>440 nm), g-C 3 N 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalysts displayed the higher photocatalytic activity than pure g-C 3 N 4 and Ag 3 PO 4 for the decolorization of methyl orange (MO). Among the hybrid photocatalysts, g-C 3 N 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 with 25 wt % of g-C 3 N 4 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for the decolorization of MO. The complete decolorization of MO was achieved for only 5 min of visible-light irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results revealed that metallic Ag particles on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 hybrid were formed during the catalysts preparation. In addition, the quenching effects of different scavengers displayed that the reactive h + and O 2•− play the major role in the MO decolorization. The photocatalytic activity enhancement of g-C 3 N 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 hybrid photocatalysts could be ascribed to the efficient separation of electron−hole pairs through a Z-scheme system composed of Ag 3 PO 4 , Ag and g-C 3 N 4 , in which Ag particles act as the charge separation center. The evidence of the Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism of the hybrid photocatalysts could be obtained from a photoluminescence technique.

Take a breath: An oxygen‐tolerant hydrogenase can be employed with a dye in a photocatalytic scheme for the generation of H2. The homogeneous system does not require a redox mediator and visible‐light irradiation yields high amounts of H2 even in the presence of air.

Etwas Luft schadet nicht: Eine sauerstofftolerante Hydrogenase kann in Kombination mit einem Farbstoff zur photokatalytischen H2‐Erzeugung eingesetzt werden. Das homogene System bedarf keines Redoxvermittlers und liefert unter Bestrahlung mit sichtbarem Licht auch in Gegenwart von Luft große Mengen an H2.

The transfer of photoenergized electrons from extracellular photosensitizers across a bacterial cell envelope to drive intracellular chemical transformations represents an attractive way to harness nature's catalytic machinery for solar‐assisted chemical synthesis. In Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 (MR‐1), trans‐outer‐membrane electron transfer is performed by the extracellular cytochromes MtrC and OmcA acting together with the outer‐membrane‐spanning porin⋅cytochrome complex (MtrAB). Here we demonstrate photoreduction of solutions of MtrC, OmcA, and the MtrCAB complex by soluble photosensitizers: namely, eosin Y, fluorescein, proflavine, flavin, and adenine dinucleotide, as well as by riboflavin and flavin mononucleotide, two compounds secreted by MR‐1. We show photoreduction of MtrC and OmcA adsorbed on RuII‐dye‐sensitized TiO2 nanoparticles and that these protein‐coated particles perform photocatalytic reduction of solutions of MtrC, OmcA, and MtrCAB. These findings provide a framework for informed development of strategies for using the outer‐membrane‐associated cytochromes of MR‐1 for solar‐driven microbial synthesis in natural and engineered bacteria.

The cover picture shows the photoreduction of electrically conductive proteins spanning a bacterial outer membrane. The authors show that abiotic and cell‐secreted photosensitizers drive the photocatalytic reduction of extracellular cytochromes. Their studies suggest how photoenergized electrons may be delivered to the interior of non‐photosynthetic micro‐organisms for the synthesis of solar chemicals. More information can be found in the full paper by L. J. C. Jeuken, E. Reisner, J. N. Butt et al. on page 2324 in Issue 24, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201600339).