A new artificial photosynthesis breakthrough uses gold to turn CO2 into liquid fuel

{1} 科学家开发了一种实现人工光合作用的新方法，通过利用富含电子的金纳米粒子生成高能烃在光合作用中，植物通过重新分配水和二氧化碳分子将能量从阳光转化为葡萄糖。 新工艺通过化学操作模仿这种天然能力，产生液体燃料，而不需要叶绿素。这可以创造自我维持的能源，有朝一日可以为家庭和汽车供电，只需模仿植物请访问Business Insider的主页以获取更多故事。科学家开发了一种新的方法来实现人工光合作用，通过利用富电子金纳米粒子作为催化剂来生产高能烃。光合作用，植物通过重新分配水和二氧化碳分子将能量从阳光转化为葡萄糖。新工艺通过化学操作模拟这种天然能力，产生液体燃料，而不需要叶绿素。“这里的目标是从过量的二氧化碳和其他可持续资源（如阳光）中生产复杂的，可液化的碳氢化合物，”化学家Prashant Jain说。来自伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳 - 香槟分校。“液体燃料是理想的，因为它们比气体更容易，更安全，更经济。”大规模实现人工光合作用的好处是巨大的给我们一个干净，自我维持的能源，有朝一日可能为我们的房屋和汽车提供动力，只需模仿植物和其他有机体默认做的事情。阅读更多：Cyborg细菌可能是新来源的关键能源因此，世界各地的科学家们不断研究如何利用太阳能作为无限的光合作用燃料来源，尤其是因为它还可以提供一种帮助我们重新利用有害物质的方法。大气二氧化碳。耆那教的新研究建立在他于2018年领导的以前的工作基础上进行的研究金纳米粒子作为叶绿素的替代品 - 一种在自然光合作用中起催化作用的色素，有助于驱动化学反应。“科学家们经常寻找植物，以深入了解将阳光，二氧化碳和水转化为燃料的方法”当时耆那教说。“在那些实验中，研究小组发现，尺寸仅为纳米的微小球形金颗粒可以吸收可见的绿光并转移光激发的电子和质子。阅读更多：研究人员表示，他们已经开发了一种”超级“房屋植物，可以清除家中的空气污染物。新的研究进一步采用相同的技术，将二氧化碳转化为复杂的碳氢化合物燃料分子 - 包括丙烷和甲烷 - 合成通过将绿光与金纳米粒子结合在离子液体中。”在这种方法中，[金]纳米粒子的等离子体激发在纳米粒子/溶液界面处产生了富电荷的环境。研究人员在他们的论文中解释说，“二氧化碳激活，”一种离子液体稳定了在这个界面形成的带电中间体，促进了多步还原和C-C耦合。“上图：金纳米粒子借电子转换红色和灰色的二氧化碳分子进入碳氢燃料分子。除丙烷和甲烷外，该方法还能使乙烯，乙炔和丙烯进行光合作用 - 复杂的分子排列有朝一日能够在燃料中实现可行的能量储存”因为它们是由长链分子制成的，[液体燃料]含有更多的粘合剂，“Jain说，”这意味着它们能够更密集地包装能量。“然而，正如其他方法一样。产生人工光合作用，突破的实用性最终取决于其效率 - 以及它在现实世界中实施的能力。在这方面，研究人员承认他们现在需要提高金纳米粒子的能力。推动这些化学转化，并研究如何投入未来的应用可以大规模发挥作用。”还有很长的路要走，“Jain在2018年解释说。”我认为我们至少需要十年才能找到实际的二氧化碳封存，二氧化碳固定，燃料形成技术在经济上是可行的。“但是，对过程的每一个见解都会提高研究界可以采取的步伐。”这一发现在Nature Communications报道。 {1}{0}{1}

Scientists developed a new way of achieving artificial photosynthesis, producing high-energy hydrocarbons by leveraging electron-rich gold nanoparticles as a catalyst.

In photosynthesis, plants convert energy from sunlight into glucose by rearranging molecules of water and carbon dioxide.

The new process mimics this natural ability via chemical manipulations that create liquid fuel, without requiring chlorophyll.

This could create self-sustaining energy source that might one day power our homes and cars, simply by mimicking what plants do.

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Scientists have developed a new way of achieving artificial photosynthesis, producing high-energy hydrocarbons by leveraging electron-rich gold nanoparticles as a catalyst.

In photosynthesis, plants convert energy from sunlight into glucose by rearranging molecules of water and carbon dioxide. The new process mimics this natural ability via chemical manipulations that create liquid fuel, without requiring chlorophyll.

“The goal here is to produce complex, liquefiable hydrocarbons from excess CO2 and other sustainable resources such as sunlight,” says chemist Prashant Jain from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“Liquid fuels are ideal because they are easier, safer, and more economical to transport than gas.”

The benefits of realizing artificial photosynthesis at scale would be massive, giving us a clean, self-sustaining energy source that might one day power our homes and cars, simply by mimicking what plants and other organisms do by default.

Read more: Cyborg bacteria could be the key to a new source of energy

Because of this, scientists all around the world are continually looking into how to harness solar energy as an unlimited, photosynthetic fuel source, not least because it could also provide a means of helping us repurpose harmful atmospheric CO2.

Jain's new research builds upon previous work he led in 2018 investigating the use of gold nanoparticles as a substitute for chlorophyll – a pigment that acts as a catalyst in natural photosynthesis, helping to drive the chemical reaction.

“Scientists often look to plants for insight into methods for turning sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into fuels,” Jain said at the time.

In those experiments, the team found that tiny spherical gold particles measuring only nanometres in size could absorb visible green light and transfer photo-excited electrons and protons.

Read more: Researchers say they've developed a 'super' house plant that can remove air pollutants from your home

The new study goes further with the same technique, converting CO2 into complex hydrocarbon fuel molecules – including propane and methane – which are synthesized by combining green light with the gold nanoparticles in an ionic liquid.

“In this approach, plasmonic excitation of [gold] nanoparticles produces a charge-rich environment at the nanoparticle/solution interface conducive for CO2 activation,” the researchers explain in their paper, “while an ionic liquid stabilizes charged intermediates formed at this interface, facilitating multi-step reduction and C–C coupling.”

Above: Gold nanoparticles lend electrons to convert red-and-grey CO2 molecules into hydrocarbon fuel molecules.

In addition to propane and methane, the method also enables ethylene, acetylene, and propene to be photosynthesized – complex molecular arrangements that could one day enable viable energy storage in fuel cells.

“Because they are made from long-chain molecules, [liquid fuels] contain more bonds,” Jain says, “meaning they pack energy more densely.”

Still, as with other methods used to generate artificial photosynthesis, the practicality of the breakthrough will ultimately hinge on its efficiency – and its ability to be implemented in the real world.

On that front, the researchers acknowledge they now need to refine the ability of gold nanoparticles to drive these chemical conversions, and investigate how potential future applications could work at scale.

“There's still a long way to go,” Jain explained in 2018.

I think we'll need at least a decade to find practical CO2-sequestration, CO2-fixation, fuel-formation technologies that are economically feasible.

“But every insight into the process improves the pace at which the research community can move.”

The findings are reported in Nature Communications.

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