Artificial leaf device for solar fuel production

Faraday Discuss. 2012:155:289-96; discussion 297-308. doi: 10.1039/c1fd00097g.

Abstract

Solar fuels, such as hydrogen gas produced from water and methanol produced from carbon dioxide reduction by artificial photosynthesis, have received considerable attention. In natural leaves the photosynthetic proteins are well-organized in the thylakoid membrane. To develop an artificial leaf device for solar low-carbon fuel production from CO2, a chlorophyll derivative chlorin-e6 (Chl-e6; photosensitizer), 1-carboxylundecanoyl-1'-methyl-4,4'-bipyrizinium bromide, iodide (CH3V(CH2)9COOH; the electron carrier) and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) (the catalyst) immobilised onto a silica-gel-based thin layer chromatography plate (the Chl-V-FDH device) was investigated. From luminescence spectroscopy measurements, the photoexcited triplet state of Chl-e6 was quenched by the CH3V(CH2)9COOH moiety on the device, indicating the photoinduced electron transfer from the photoexcited triplet state of Chl-e6 to the CH3V(CH2)9COOH moiety. When the CO2-saturated sample solution containing NADPH (the electron donor) was flowed onto the Chl-V-FDH device under visible light irradiation, the formic acid concentration increased with increasing irradiation time.

MeSH terms

  • Bioelectric Energy Sources
  • Biofuels
  • Biomimetic Materials / analysis*
  • Biomimetic Materials / chemical synthesis
  • Biomimetic Materials / metabolism
  • Carbon Dioxide / chemistry
  • Carbon Dioxide / metabolism
  • Chlorophyll / chemistry
  • Chlorophyll / metabolism
  • Chlorophyllides
  • Electron Transport
  • Formate Dehydrogenases / chemistry
  • Formate Dehydrogenases / metabolism*
  • Formates / chemical synthesis
  • Green Chemistry Technology / instrumentation
  • Green Chemistry Technology / methods*
  • Hydrogen / chemistry
  • Hydrogen / metabolism
  • Light
  • NADP / chemistry
  • NADP / metabolism
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Photochemistry / instrumentation
  • Photochemistry / methods*
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Photosynthesis*
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry
  • Plant Leaves / metabolism
  • Porphyrins / chemistry*
  • Silica Gel / chemistry
  • Solar Energy / statistics & numerical data*
  • Thylakoids / chemistry
  • Thylakoids / metabolism

Substances

  • Biofuels
  • Chlorophyllides
  • Formates
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Porphyrins
  • formic acid
  • Chlorophyll
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • NADP
  • phytochlorin
  • Silica Gel
  • Hydrogen
  • Formate Dehydrogenases