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Bioinspired transformation of small-molecules to energy-related feedstocks is an attractive research area to overcome both the environmental issues and the depletion of fossil fuels. The highly effective metalloenzymes in nature provide blueprints for the utilization of bioinspired metal complexes for artificial photosynthesis. Through simpler structural and functional mimics, the representative herein is the pivotal development of several critical small molecule conversions catalyzed by metal complexes, e.g., water oxidation, proton and CO 2 reduction and organic chemical transformation of small molecules. Of great achievement is the establishment of bioinspired metal complexes as catalysts with high stability, specific selectivity and satisfactory efficiency to drive the multiple-electron and multiple-proton processes related to small molecule transformation. Also, potential opportunities and challenges for future development in these appealing areas are highlighted.

Photoelectrochemistry enables the formation of a variety of active intermediates for organic synthesis in an environmentally friendly manner. Herein, a photoelectrochemical cell is fabricated to realize activation of P-H/C-H bonds for cross-coupling hydrogen evolution. As compared with an electrochemical cell, nearly 90% external bias input is saved to drive the C-P bond construction with good to excellent yields.

Owing to promoted electron-hole separation, the catalytic activity of semiconducting quantum dots (QDs) towards solar hydrogen (H2) production has been significantly enhanced by forming self-assembled clusters with ZnSe QDs made ex situ. Taking advantage of the favored interparticle hole transfer to ZnSe QDs, the rate of solar H2 evolution of CdSe QDs can be increased to ∼30 000 μmol h-1 g-1 with ascorbic acid as the sacrificial reagent, ∼150-fold higher than that of bare CdSe QDs clusters under the same conditions.

Due to their enhanced light harvesting, favored interfacial charge transfer and excellent proton reduction activity, hybrid photocatalysts of metallic 1T-MoS 2 nanosheets and inorganic-ligand stabilized CdSe/ZnS QDs obtained via a self-assembly approach can produce H 2 gas with a rate of ∼155 ± 3.5 μmol h -1 mg -1 under visible-light irradiation (λ = 410 nm), the most exceptional performance of solar H 2 evolution using MoS 2 as a cocatalyst known to date.