Japanese researchers improve photoredox properties of panchromatic photosensitizers

October 25, 2021 |

In Japan, using photocatalysts to reduce CO2 has received a lot of attention recently. Scientists from Tokyo Tech have developed a new osmium complex that can absorb a full wavelength range of visible light and act as a panchromatic redox photosensitizer for CO2 reduction. The team combined this complex with a ruthenium (II) catalyst and successfully reduced CO2 into formic acid.

Finding solutions for the current climate and energy crisis has become a common goal across the globe. And why look far when we have the perfect solution right around us? Taking a page out of nature’s book, scientists have been trying to recreate the process of photosynthesis to combat climate change. Beyond helping plants prepare their food, photosynthesis also makes them one of the major carbon sinks that trap carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and convert it to other forms. This makes artificial photosynthesis a lucrative method for not just hydrogen evolution and water oxidation but also CO2 reduction.

In a recent study published in Chemical Science, researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology adopted a new strategy to improve the photoredox properties of panchromatic photosensitizers. The team developed a new osmium (Os) complex that could absorb the full wavelength range of visible light. Using this complex as the redox photosensitizer and a ruthenium complex catalyst (Ru(CO)), they developed a photocatalytic system that could reduce CO2 into HCOOH (formic acid

Category: Research

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