Artificial Photosynthesis

Artificial photosynthesis is a chemical process that replicates the natural process of photosynthesis, a process that converts sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen. The term is commonly used to refer to any scheme for capturing and storing the energy from sunlight in the chemical bonds of a fuel (a solar fuel). Photocatalytic water splitting converts water into protons (and eventually hydrogen) and oxygen, and is a main research area in artificial photosynthesis. Light-driven carbon dioxide reduction is another studied process, replicating natural carbon fixation.

Research developed in this field encompasses design and assembly of devices (and their components) for the direct production of solar fuels, photoelectrochemistry and its application in fuel cells, and engineering of enzymes and photoautotrophic microorganisms for microbial biofuel and biohydrogen production from sunlight. Many, if not most, of the artificial approaches are bio-inspired, i.e., they rely on biomimetics.

Read more about Artificial Photosynthesis:  Overview, History, Current Research, Employed Research Techniques, Advantages, Disadvantages, and Efficiency, Potential Global Impact

Other articles related to "artificial photosynthesis, photosynthesis":

Solar Power - Energy Storage Methods
... Artificial photosynthesis involves the use of nanotechnology to store solar electromagnetic energy in chemical bonds, by splitting water to produce hydrogen fuel or then combining with carbon dioxide to make ... Many large national and regional research projects on artificial photosynthesis are now trying to develop techniques integrating improved light capture, quantum coherence methods of electron transfer and ... researchers in the field have made the public policy case for a Global Project on Artificial Photosynthesis to address critical energy security and environmental sustainability issues ...
Artificial Photosynthesis - Potential Global Impact
... fuels, producing either hydrogen or carbohydrates, artificial photosynthesis is set apart from other popular renewable energy sources, specifically hydroelectric, solar ... As such, artificial photosynthesis may become a very important source of fuel for transportation ... At the fifteenth meeting of the International Congress of Photosynthesis Research (ISPR) in Beijing 27 August 2010, a proposal was made for a "macroscience" Global Artificial Photosynthesis (GAP) Project, with seven ...
Renewable Energy Technology - Emerging Technologies - Artificial Photosynthesis
... Artificial photosynthesis uses techniques include nanotechnology to store solar electromagnetic energy in chemical bonds by splitting water to ... Researchers in this field are striving to design molecular mimics of photosynthesis that utilize a wider region of the solar spectrum, employ catalytic ...

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