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Scientists have developed a new way to achieve artificial photosynthesis by producing high energy hydrocarbons using electron-rich gold nanoparticles as catalyst.
During photosynthesis, plants convert the energy of sunlight into glucose by rearranging molecules of water and carbon dioxide. The new process mimics this natural ability through chemical manipulations that create a liquid fuel, without the need for chlorophyll.
"The goal here is to produce complex and liquefiable hydrocarbons from excess CO2 and other sustainable resources such as the sun," says chemist Prashant Jain of the University of Hawaii. Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
"Liquid fuels are ideal because they are easier, safer and more economical to transport than gas."
The benefits of large-scale artificial photosynthesis would be enormous, giving us a clean, self-sufficient source of energy that could someday power our homes and cars, simply by mimicking what plants and other organisms do by default.
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This is why scientists around the world are continually seeking to exploit solar energy as an unlimited source of photosynthetic fuel, not least because it could also help us reuse harmful atmospheric CO2.
Jain's new research builds on his earlier work in 2018 on the use of gold nanoparticles as a replacement for chlorophyll – a pigment that plays a catalytic role in natural photosynthesis, contributing to the chemical reaction.
"Scientists often turn to factories for information on how to turn sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into fuel," Jain said at the time.
In these experiments, the team discovered that tiny spherical gold particles weighing only a few nanometers could absorb visible green light and transfer electrons and photo-excited protons.
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The new study goes further with the same technique, converting CO2 into complex hydrocarbon fuel molecules – including propane and methane – that are synthesized by combining green light with gold nanoparticles in an ionic liquid.
"In this approach, the plasmonic excitation of [gold] The nanoparticles produce a rich-in-charge environment at the nanoparticle interface / CO2-conducive solution, "explain the researchers," while an ionic liquid stabilizes charged intermediates formed at this level. interface, thus facilitating multi-step reduction and DC coupling ".
Above: Gold nanoparticles lend electrons to convert red and gray CO2 molecules into hydrocarbon fuel molecules.
In addition to propane and methane, the process also allows the photosynthesis of ethylene, acetylene and propene – complex molecular arrangements that could one day allow for viable energy storage in batteries. combustible.
"Because they're made from long-chain molecules, [liquid fuels] contain more links, "says Jain," which means that they pack more dense energy. "
Nevertheless, as with other methods used to generate artificial photosynthesis, the feasibility of breakthrough will ultimately depend on its effectiveness – and its ability to be implemented in the real world.
On this front, researchers recognize that they must now refine the ability of gold nanoparticles to conduct these chemical conversions and study how future potential applications could work on a large scale.
"The road ahead is still long," Jain said in 2018.
"I think we will need at least a decade to find practical technologies for CO2 sequestration, CO2 sequestration and fuel formation that are economically feasible.
"But every overview of the process improves the pace at which the research community can evolve."
The results are reported in Nature Communications.
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