Shen Lihua, Yin Xiaobo
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.
Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.
Nano Converg. 2022 Aug 5;9(1):36. doi: 10.1186/s40580-022-00327-5.
Photosynthesis is the most important biological process on Earth that converts solar energy to chemical energy (biomass) using sunlight as the sole energy source. The yield of photosynthesis is highly sensitive to the intensity and spectral components of light received by the photosynthetic organisms. Therefore, photon engineering has the potential to increase photosynthesis. Spectral conversion materials have been proposed for solar spectral management and widely investigated for photosynthesis by modifying the quality of light reaching the organisms since the 1990s. Such spectral conversion materials manage the photon spectrum of light by a photoconversion process, and a primary challenge faced by these materials is increasing their efficiencies. This review focuses on emerging spectral conversion materials for augmenting the photosynthesis of plants and microalgae, with a special emphasis on their fundamental design and potential applications in both greenhouse settings and microalgae cultivation systems. Finally, a discussion about the future perspectives in this field is made to overcome the remaining challenges.
光合作用是地球上最重要的生物过程，它以阳光为唯一能源，将太阳能转化为化学能（生物质）。光合作用的产量对光合生物所接收光的强度和光谱成分高度敏感。因此，光子工程有提高光合作用的潜力。自20世纪90年代以来，人们已提出光谱转换材料用于太阳能光谱管理，并通过改变到达生物体的光的质量对其光合作用进行了广泛研究。此类光谱转换材料通过光转换过程来管理光的光子光谱，而这些材料面临的主要挑战是提高其效率。本综述聚焦于用于增强植物和微藻光合作用的新兴光谱转换材料，特别强调其基本设计以及在温室环境和微藻培养系统中的潜在应用。最后，针对该领域未来前景进行了讨论，以克服尚存的挑战。
