Peidong Yang, Michelle C. Y. Chang, Christopher J. Chang and colleagues from the University of California, are inventing a new artificial photosynthetic system that could one day reduce dependence on fossil-fuel energy by using power from solar energy and bacteria.
A new artificial photosynthetic system could one day reduce dependence on fossil-fuels
In the ACS journal, Nano Letters, the group describe a novel system that converts light and carbon dioxide into building blocks for plastics, pharmaceuticals and fuel without the use of electricity.
Plants use photosynthesis to convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own fuel in the form of carbohydrates. P. Yang, M. Chang and C. Chang have developed a stand-alone, nanowire array that captures light and, with the help of bacteria, converts carbon dioxide into acetate.
The bacteria directly interacts with the light-absorbing materials which could be the first example of ‘microbial photoelectrosynthess.’ Another kind of bacteria then transforms the acetate into chemical precursors that can be used to make a wide range of everyday products from antibiotics to paints.