Far‐From‐Equilibrium Enzymatic Reaction Networks: From Basic Principles to Applications

Abstract

Life is sustained by diverse far‐from‐equilibrium enzymatic reaction networks that reversibly sense and respond to environmental signals and precisely regulate biological functions. A key goal of chemistry is to develop enzymatic reaction networks (ERNs) with life‐like properties. Here we introduce an overview of the emerging fields of synthetic ERNs, which aims at mimicking hallmarks of living systems by combining enzymatic reactions with far‐from‐equilibrium processes. We first elucidate the concepts, mechanisms, and nonlinear features of far‐from‐equilibrium enzymatic reaction networks, and then we survey synthetic enzymatic reaction networks with various complex temporal dynamics. We further emphasize the functional applications of synthetic enzymatic reaction networks in diverse fields, such as autonomous nanomotors, programmable transient materials, molecular computing systems, and life‐like artificial cells, and also delve into their future research directions and associated challenges. Engineered far‐from‐equilibrium ERN is a major first step in harnessing the design principles of life for construction of the active molecular devices that exist in nature.