【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Key breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis in China: Efficient conversion of carbon dioxide and water into energy under natural light”

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A major breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis in our country: efficient conversion of carbon dioxide and water into energy under natural light. Reporters learned from the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that a team specializing in new air purification technologies there, inspired by plant photosynthesis, has developed a general strategy for the simultaneous conversion of carbon dioxide and water. The relevant findings were published on January 31 in the international academic journal Nature Communications. Through photosynthesis, plants skillfully convert the simply structured carbon dioxide and water into complex nutrient molecules, providing a natural example for humans to utilize greenhouse gas carbon dioxide through chemical methods. However, artificially simulating the process of photosynthesis still faces scientific challenges. The key bottleneck is that the electrons generated by light-excited functional materials (used to reduce carbon dioxide) and the holes (used to oxidize water) have extremely short lifetimes, making it difficult to achieve simultaneous and continuous reaction between them. This new approach developed by China’s research team simulates the physiological mechanism by which plants temporarily store photo-generated electrons. It introduces an innovative electron storage pathway; through targeted design and the creation of specific material structures, it is possible to store electrons when light is present and release them precisely when needed, thereby enabling precise control over the rate and extent of the reaction between carbon dioxide and water. Based on this approach, the research team successfully developed an Ag/WO3 material modified with silver that possesses electronic storage capabilities. Verification by combining it with the catalytically active component cobalt phthalocyanine showed that the carbon dioxide conversion efficiency increased by nearly a hundred times compared to pure cobalt phthalocyanine. Furthermore, this strategy possesses good versatility and applicability, allowing for the creation of various composite catalyst systems with structures tailored to specific requirements. This scheme operates stably under natural light conditions, providing a viable technical approach for the large-scale conversion of carbon dioxide into clean energy sources such as carbon monoxide and methane using solar energy.