Mimicking Life and Death in a Photocatalytic Supramolecular System

Life-like behavior emerges from dynamic supramolecular organization maintained far from equilibrium. We report a platinum(II) complex system that assembles into two distinct emissive aggregates: kinetically trapped, orange-emissive PtA and thermodynamically stable, blue-emissive PtB. PtA integrates visible-light harvesting and catalytic functions, driving hydrogen evolution in aqueous ascorbate without the need for external photosensitizers or co-catalysts. Continuous irradiation sustains PtA in a functional, far-from-equilibrium state, preventing its transformation into the inactive PtB. Once light is removed, PtA spontaneously converts into catalytically inactive PtB, representing molecular “death”. This mimics a minimal chemical model of life in which catalytic function enables survival through energy consumption, while loss of energy input drives decay into a nonfunctional, thermodynamic equilibrium state.