Abstract
Mounting environmental concerns emphasize the urgent need to transition to sustainable energy production and use. Biology offers examples of the effi cient conversion of chemical energy to other forms of energy. Photosynthesis is an example of solar energy conversion to chemical potential, and many conversion steps of photosynthesis are quite effi cient. Taking inspiration from the effi cient processes associated with photosynthesis and the subsequent conversion of chemical potential to myriad forms of biomass, artifi cial photosynthesis (AP) can serve to inspire the design of effi cient energy-conversion systems for human use. Herein, we point out the imperative of effi cient solar energy conversion and describe some of the steps in the evolution of AP strategies, from early designs of artifi cial reaction centers (ARCs) comprising only organic chromophores to some of the most recent examples in which chromophores are attached to semiconductor nanoparticles and undergo photoinduced electron transfer processes and proton-coupled electron transfer.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | From Molecules to Materials |
| Subtitle of host publication | Pathways to Artificial Photosynthesis |
| Publisher | Springer International Publishing |
| Pages | 71-98 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783319138008 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783319137995 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Hybrid nanoconstructs
- Hybrid reaction centers
- Photoinduced electron transfer
- Proton-coupled electron transfer
- Solar energy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Energy
- General Engineering
- General Materials Science
- General Chemistry