Energy conversion in natural and artificial photosynthesis.
Modern civilization is dependent upon fossil fuels, a nonrenewable energy source originally provided by the storage of solar energy. Fossil-fuel dependence has severe consequences, including energy security issues and greenhouse gas emissions. The consequences of fossil-fuel dependence could be avoided by fuel-producing artificial systems that mimic natural photosynthesis, directly converting solar energy to fuel. This review describes the three key components of solar energy conversion in photosynthesis: light harvesting, charge separation, and catalysis. These processes are compared in natural and in artificial systems. Such a comparison can assist in understanding the general principles of photosynthesis and in developing working devices, including photoelectrochemical cells, for solar energy conversion.
Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Iain
I
McConnell
Gonghu
G
Li
Gary W
GW
Brudvig
D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D004579:Electron Transport; D004736:Energy-Generating Resources; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes / Q000378:metabolism; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D010788:Photosynthesis; D012993:Solar Energy
D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes