Artificial Photosynthesis: Faraday Discussion 155

Topics: Environmental Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Green Chemistry, Keywords: Electronic energy transfer, Fuel production, carbon dioxide reduction, Oxygen evolution, Integrated photo-systems

Date: /5/6/7/ September 2011, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Europe

Web Site, Contact: events@rsc.org

  

Official Information:

There is a growing conviction that the only real prospect for our long-term energy provision relies on the ability to collect and store sunlight in the form of chemical potential. The idea to create artificial systems that exploit the basic chemistry of photosynthesis in order to produce hydrogen or other fuels is far from new, and the need to explore alternative energy solutions is becoming evermore urgent as the supply of available energy from fossil fuels decreases and concerns increase about their environmental impact.

The most important problems to solve are (i) design of effective photon collectors, (ii) identification of selective catalysts, (iii) coupling the catalyst to the photochemical centre and (iv) building an integrated array. This Faraday Discussion meeting on Artificial Photosynthesis will focus on these problems as well as some of the key areas in the design of bio-inspired materials and novel photo-electrochemical devices. The meeting offers a unique opportunity for international researchers to discuss the latest developments and the fundamental issues surrounding the scientific challenges ahead..