Biologically inspired hydrogel harnesses sunlight: one step closer to artificial photosynthesis

Bio-based hydrogels that harness sunlight to convert water into hydrogen fuel, effectively mimicking natural processes to create sustainable energy solutions. Provided by: JAIST Kosuke Okeyoshi
Mimicking the way plants convert sunlight into energy has long been a dream of scientists looking to create renewable energy solutions. Artificial photosynthesis is a process that uses sunlight to trigger chemical reactions that attempt to replicate nature’s way of producing clean energy. However, creating synthetic systems that function as organically as natural photosynthesis has until now been a major challenge.
Now, researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) and the University of Tokyo have developed a new type of bio-inspired hydrogel that uses sunlight to split water molecules to produce hydrogen and oxygen. designed. Their research was published online in the journal Chemical Communications.
This design could be a game-changer in the quest for clean energy, as hydrogen is seen as a promising fuel. Additionally, this hydrogen production advancement can also be compared to other clean energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic and electrolysis-based hydrogen production.
While these methods rely on external energy sources, hydrogel systems mimic nature by using sunlight directly to split water, potentially increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
A research team led by Associate Professor Kosuke Okeyoshi, along with JAIST doctoral student Rena Hagiwara and Professor Ryo Yoshida of the University of Tokyo, designed these hydrogels with carefully structured polymer networks. These networks help control the movement of electrons, which is important for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The hydrogels are packed with functional molecules such as ruthenium complexes and platinum nanoparticles, which work together to simulate the natural photosynthesis process.
“The biggest challenge was figuring out how to arrange these molecules so that electrons could transfer smoothly,” Professor Okeyoshi says. “By using a polymer network, we were able to prevent polymer aggregation, a common problem in synthetic photosynthetic systems.”
Additionally, the lead author, Dr. Rena Hagiwara (Ph.D.), adds: The JAIST student said, “What’s unique here is how the molecules are organized within the hydrogel. By creating a structured environment, we made the energy conversion process more efficient.” I am.
One of the key advances in this research is the ability of hydrogels to prevent aggregation of functional molecules, which has been a major problem in previous artificial photosynthesis systems. As a result, the team was able to significantly increase the activity of the water splitting process and produce more hydrogen compared to older technology.
This design has major implications for clean energy. When produced using only water and sunlight, hydrogen provides a renewable alternative to fossil fuels and could become a central player in future energy systems.
Professor Okeyoshi said: “Hydrogen is a great energy source because it is clean and renewable. Our hydrogel provides a way to harness sunlight to produce hydrogen, sustainably reshaping energy technology. “It may be helpful to do so.”
By making artificial photosynthesis more active, this research brings us closer to a future where renewable hydrogen can power industry, transportation and energy storage systems.
Despite these promising results, researchers note that there is still work to be done. Scaling up the production of these hydrogels and ensuring their long-term stability will be an important next step.
“We have shown the potential, but now we need to refine the technology for industrial use,” Professor Okeyoshi says. “The possibilities are exciting and we want to continue moving forward.”
The research team also plans to explore precise integration into hydrogels to further increase energy conversion efficiency.
Further information: Reina Hayakawa et al., Bioinspired hybridgels: Polymer design for artificial photosynthesis, Chemical Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1039/D4CC04033C
Provided by Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Source: Bioinspired hydrogels harness sunlight: One step closer to artificial photosynthesis (November 6, 2024) from https://phys.org/news/2024-11-bioinspired-hytrogels-harness-sunlight-closer.html Retrieved November 6, 2024
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