3/11/2009 PERMALINK
Researchers create a nano-sized photocatalyst for artificial photosynthesis
Plants employ photosynthesis to capture energy from sunlight and convert it into electrochemical energy. Now researchers at Berkeley Lab have taken the critical step towards developing an artificial version of photosynthesis that can be used to produce liquid fuels from carbon dioxide and water. As shown in the image, nano-sized crystals of cobalt oxide can effectively carry out the critical photosynthetic reaction of splitting water molecules to free up electrons and oxygen (O2) that then react with carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce a fuel, shown here as methanol.... more