Themed collection Artificial photosynthesis

A brief introduction into artificial photosynthesis technologies is presented.

This paper follows on from the Concluding Remarks presentation of the 3rd Faraday Discussion Meeting on Artificial Photosynthesis, Cambridge, UK, 25–27th March 2019. It aims to discuss the context for the research discussed at this meeting with an overview of the motivation for research on artificial photosynthesis and an analysis of the composition and trends in the field of artificial photosynthesis, primarily using the results of searches of publication databases.

Fast visible light-driven water oxidation catalyzed by the Fe^IV cage complex relies on its efficient hole scavenging activity in the system utilizing [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ as a photosensitizer.

Systematic variations in catalyst structure and electrolyte isotopic labeling narrow down mechanistic possibilities for CO₂ reduction using Ni–Group 13 electrocatalysts

We tested an emerging hypothesis that carbon species may play an integral role in catalyzing dinitrogen adsorption and reduction to ammonia.

The photo-catalytic fixation of CO₂ and epoxides for the photo-generation of cyclic carbonates (CCs) using Ru–TiO₂ hyper-branched nanorods.

A novel photocatalytic concept based on photoexcitation of an organic anionic ground state catalyst for direct C–H (het)arylations using (het)aryl chlorides.

Redox-active films are advantageous matrices for the immobilization of photosynthetic proteins, due to their ability to mediate electron transfer as well as to achieve high catalyst loading on an electrode for efficient generation of electricity or solar fuels.

Photosensitization of non-photosynthetic organisms by highly biocompatible gold nanoclusters achieves solar-driven carbon dioxide-to-chemical conversion. Further work explores cytoprotective materials and the photo-induced mechanism of charge transfer.

Z-scheme systems for water splitting were successfully developed by employing Rh- and Ir-doped metal oxides with SrTiO₃:Rh and BiVO₄ photocatalysts.

We report the synthesis of dyes with recognition sites that facilitate pseudorotaxane formation and implementation into a p-type DSSC where the ring acts as a redox mediator.

Post-polymerization ladderization is explored as a promising technique to boost the photo-catalytic activity of conjugated polymers.

We employed the concept of sequential catalysis to design CuAu bifunctional catalysts for the selective and scalable reduction of CO₂ to ethylene and ethanol.

Schematic representation of photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction set-up.

Fast adaptation of Rhodobacter capsulatus to increasing salinities opens possibilities for photo-bioelectrochemical systems development for saline environments.

A pincer type ligand provides an additional coordination site or a proton relay depending on the metal oxidation state.

A bias-free tandem photoelectrochemical water splitting cell consisting of a CuBi₂O₄ photocathode and a BiVO₄ photoanode synthesized from a single Bi₄O₅I₂ template.

We show a proof-of-concept for using MtrCAB as a lipid membrane-spanning building block for compartmentalised photocatalysis that mimics photosynthesis.

The photocatalytic proton reduction is catalyzed by Fe_xNi_x−9S₈.

We discuss a low-cost computational workflow for the high throughput screening of polymeric photocatalysts.

A novel PS–WOC dyad which incorporates a ruthenium-based photosensitizer (PS) connected to a Prussian blue type water oxidation catalyst (WOC) through a P4VP platform is presented.

Photocharging of CuWO₄ photoanodes enhances its water oxidation kinetics as a result of improved charge separation near the electrode/electrolyte interface post photocharging.

CaFeO_x modified with electrodeposited FePO₄ exhibits high activity and stability in natural seawater splitting.

The influence of a biologically inspired second and outer coordination sphere on Rh-bis(diphosphine) CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts was explored.

The effects of altered morphology and size on the visible light-induced water oxidation activity and photoelectrochemical performance of BaTaO₂N crystal structures were studied.