Artificial photosynthesis: Progress, science prospects and technology outlook

Abstract

The design of highly efficient, non-biol. energy conversion system that generate fuels directly from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide is both a formidable challenge and an opportunity, that if realized, could have a revolutionary impact on our energy system. In the past five years, considerable progress has been made in scientific discovery of key materials and mechanisms to realize artificial solar fuels generators, and advances in modeling and design have generated now quite widely embraced conceptual designs for a water splitting solar fuels generator. I will describe recent progress at the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis in realization of efficient, stable solar fuels generators for hydrogen prodn. and will discuss new directions in heterogeneous catalysis for carbon dioxide redn., and schemes for solar fuels generators for carbon dioxide redn.