Artificial photosynthesis, a process that couples catalysis with semiconductor light harvesting, provides a direct solar-driven synthetic route to selectively produce fuels and commodity chemicals. One vital factor to achieve high efficiency and selectivity in this process is the solid/liquid interface where catalysis and energy transfer take place. This talk will describe the research efforts to understand, control, and eventually design the solid/liquid interface in the context of artificial photosynthesis. The significance of this interface is illustrated with several examples, including integrated water-splitting nanostructures, efficient bioinorganic hybrids for CO2 reduction, as well as distributed ammonia synthesis from N2 and H2O at ambient conditions. With appropriate design, integrating the knowledge from chemistry, materials, and biology can establish a solar-to-chemical system that surpasses its natural counterparts.

Artificial photosynthesis: From nano to microbes

256th National Meeting (2018)

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