Research database

The natural leaf is an inspiring tool to convert the energy of sun light into chemical fuels. In nature, plants and algae are highly efficient at converting CO2 by splitting water into carbohydrates working at low light flux thanks to energy transfer. In multielectron chemistry, the solar light absorption by the sensitizer is the limiting step. Molecular antennas, transferring energy among them, funnel it to a single catalytic reaction centre. This is the inspiring principle of EU-funded LuSH Art project, where new light harvesting antennas based on self-assembly aggregation, either from organic molecules or quantum dots, will be used to fast deliver energy to reactive centers. The resulting light-harvesting antennas will be integrated in a new luminescent solar concentrators to significantly enhance solar conversion efficiency while simultaneously reducing CO2. This project, which involves industrial collaboration, has a multidisciplinary approach and its possible outcomes could impact several other research fields in chemistry and material science.