Leiden University researcher provides new design rules on efficient artificial photosynthesis

In the Netherlands, artificial photosynthesis, like the natural variant in green plants, consists of two parts. One is water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen. The other one is carbon dioxide reduction into energy-rich hydrocarbons. The target is to achieve these two parts in one system that on the one hand reduces the CO2 content of the air, and on the other hand produces fuels and oxygen. 

The ideal catalyst: efficient, cheap and readily available. A PhD candidate from Leiden University’s research has provided new design rules and ideas on how to achieve efficient artificial photosynthesis.