McConnell Iain, Li Gonghu, Brudvig Gary W
Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Chem Biol. 2010 May 28;17(5):434-47. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2010.05.005.
Modern civilization is dependent upon fossil fuels, a nonrenewable energy source originally provided by the storage of solar energy. Fossil-fuel dependence has severe consequences, including energy security issues and greenhouse gas emissions. The consequences of fossil-fuel dependence could be avoided by fuel-producing artificial systems that mimic natural photosynthesis, directly converting solar energy to fuel. This review describes the three key components of solar energy conversion in photosynthesis: light harvesting, charge separation, and catalysis. These processes are compared in natural and in artificial systems. Such a comparison can assist in understanding the general principles of photosynthesis and in developing working devices, including photoelectrochemical cells, for solar energy conversion.
现代文明依赖于化石燃料,这是一种最初由太阳能储存提供的不可再生能源。对化石燃料的依赖会产生严重后果,包括能源安全问题和温室气体排放。通过模仿自然光合作用的产燃料人工系统直接将太阳能转化为燃料,可以避免对化石燃料的依赖所带来的后果。本文综述了光合作用中太阳能转化的三个关键组成部分:光捕获、电荷分离和催化作用。对自然系统和人工系统中的这些过程进行了比较。这样的比较有助于理解光合作用的一般原理,并有助于开发用于太阳能转化的工作装置,包括光电化学电池。