VATIS UPDATE Article

Professors Jae Sung Lee, and Ji-Wook Jang, at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Republic of Korea, in collaboration with Dr. Roel van de Krol, at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Germany, has developed a new method using an artificial leaf to efficiently convert sunlight into fuel in a move that could help reduce carbon emissions. The new method does not generate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by using the hydrogen produced by the artificial leaf.

“We aim to achieve 10 percent enhanced light harvesting efficiency within three years. This technology will greatly contribute to the establishment of the renewable-energy-type hydrogen refueling station by supplying cheap fuel for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” said Lee. In the study, the researchers presented a hetero-type dual photoelectrodes, where two photoanodes of different bandgaps are connected in parallel for extended light harvesting. The study has been published in Nature Communications.

The new artificial leaf will mimic the natural process of underwater photosynthesis of aquatic plants to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be harvested for fuel. The groundbreaking technique is expected to contribute to several countries in continued efforts to reduce carbon emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement on climate change. The hydrogen produced could also be used as a cheap and stable hydrogen fuel for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.