U.S. researchers create hydrogen fuel by mimicking photosynthesis
The researchers converted light energy into chemical fuel. A team of scientists from the University of South Carolina (UofSC) and Florida State University (FSU) have discovered a way to convert light energy into chemical fuel in a lab, successfully producing hydrogen fuel by mimicking photosynthesis. The researchers pursued the idea of using simple molecules to mimic photosynthesis. In their study, the scientists combined two molecules. One was a photoredox catalyst, for instance a catalyst that can move electrons with light. The other was naphthol, which is a fluorescent organic compound. These combined molecules were exposed to light and each molecule absorbed a photon and then worked together to produce hydrogen fuel. They did this by mimicking a process that is referred to as the Z-Scheme in natural photosynthesis. Florida State University Associate Professor of Chemistry Ken Hanson and University of South Carolina Associate Professor of Chemistry Aaron Vannucci both parti...