A groundbreaking collaboration between researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and international partners has successfully mimicked photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into liquid fuels. The breakthrough, part of the Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA) initiative, has brought scientists closer to harnessing the sun’s energy to produce sustainable fuels.
The team developed a self-contained system that combines perovskite, a material used in photovoltaic solar panels, with copper-based electrocatalysts. This innovation builds on over 20 years of research and enables the production of C2 products, precursory chemicals for various industries, including plastic polymers and jet fuel.
Researchers worked together to replicate the natural processes that occur in plant leaves, using lead halide perovskite photoabsorbers to mimic a leaf’s light-absorbing chlorophyll. Inspired by enzymes regulating photosynthesis in nature, they designed copper-based electrocatalysts resembling tiny flowers.
The new device, about the size of a postage stamp, converts CO2 into C2 molecules using only sunlight. The team tested the selectivity of the device using a solar simulator and achieved a realistic artificial-leaf architecture.
This breakthrough has significant implications for sustainable energy research, with potential applications in industries such as aviation and transportation. Further advancements aim to increase the system’s efficiency and expand its size, paving the way for scalable solutions.
Source: https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2025/04/24/scientists-develop-artificial-leaf-that-uses-sunlight-to-produce-valuable-chemicals