Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), with the help of other scientists around the world, have discovered a device that replicates natural photosynthesis to transform carbon dioxide into usable liquid fuel using nothing but the sun.
Revealed in Nature Catalysis, the revolutionary technology uses copper electrocatalysts with perovskite solar cells, a breakthrough achievement in renewable energy technology.
Recreating Nature: The Creation of an Artificial Leaf
Taking cues from the way green leaves harness sunlight to generate energy, the Peidong Yang-led research group designed a device that mimics the key features of photosynthesis.
"Nature was our inspiration. We had to work on the individual components first, but when we brought everything together and realized that it was successful, it was a very exciting moment," Yang, a senior faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division, said.
The device integrates lead halide perovskite photo-absorbers, which imitate a leaf's chlorophyll, with flower-shaped copper catalysts that mimic natural enzymes.
The interaction creates a carbon-carbon (C2) producing system that can convert CO₂ into energy-dense chemicals with just light and water.
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Within the Solar-Powered CO₂ Conversion Device
The artificial leaf is roughly the size of a postage stamp but has a punch that is full. It has photoanode and photocathode chambers that trigger organic oxidation and produce C2 molecules, key components in fuels and plastics. Those molecules are precursors to a variety of products, ranging from jet fuel to synthetic polymers, and offer a renewable resource over materials that are derived from fossils.
In contrast to previous attempts with biological materials, the new system is based solely on inorganic elements such as copper, which provides better durability and stability. Perovskite improves light absorption, and incorporating metal contacts at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry provided the best performance under a solar simulator mimicking continuous sunlight.
The Role of the Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA)
According to Berkeley Lab, this milestone is part of the Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA), a Department of Energy project that brings together more than 100 researchers from institutions such as Caltech, UC San Diego, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Its objective is to develop a scalable, solar-to-fuel technology that can significantly lower carbon emissions and meet global energy demands.
Yang and his group strive to further optimize efficiency and scalability by scaling the device's size and performance.
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