Previous experiments have successfully replicated photosynthesis through the use of biological materials, but this work incorporated an inorganic material, copper. While the selectivity of copper is lower than biological alternatives, the inclusion of copper presents a more durable, stable, and longer-lasting option for the artificial leaf system design.
Work led by researchers in the LiSA project developed the cathode and anode components of the new device. Instruments at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry allowed Yang’s team to integrate the device with metal contacts. During the experiments in Yang’s lab, a solar simulator mimicking a consistently bright sun was used to test the selectivity of the new device.
Prior innovations across research groups enabled an organic oxidation reaction to take place in the photoanode chamber and created C2 products in the photocathode chamber. This breakthrough created a realistic artificial-leaf architecture in a device about the size of a postage stamp – it converts CO2 into a C2 molecule using only sunlight.
The C2 chemicals produced from this device are precursory ingredients for many industries that produce valuable products in our everyday lives – from plastic polymers to fuel for larger vehicles that can’t yet run off a battery, like an airplane. Building upon this fundamental research milestone, Yang is now aimed to increase the system’s efficiency and expand the size of the artificial leaf to begin increasing the scalability of the solution.
