Minuscule copper ‘nano-flowers’ have been utilized in conjunction with an artificial leaf to generate clean fuels and chemicals essential for today’s energy and manufacturing sectors.
A research team from the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley, has created an effective method to produce hydrocarbons—compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen—using only solar energy.
The device they engineered merges a light-absorbing ‘leaf’, made from a highly efficient solar cell material known as perovskite, with a copper nanoflower catalyst to transform carbon dioxide into valuable molecules. Unlike most metal catalysts that can only produce single-carbon molecules from COâ‚‚, the copper nano-flowers facilitate the synthesis of more complicated hydrocarbons with two carbon atoms, like ethane and ethylene, which are crucial for creating liquid fuels, various chemicals, and plastics.
Presently, almost all hydrocarbons originate from fossil fuels, whereas the technique established by the team from Cambridge and Berkeley generates clean chemicals and fuels from CO2, water, and glycerol—a widely used organic compound—without releasing extra carbon emissions. Their findings are published in the journal Nature Catalysis.
This research builds on previous studies focused on artificial leaves, inspired by photosynthesis—the mechanism through which plants turn sunlight into energy. “Our goal was to progress beyond simple carbon dioxide reduction and create more intricate hydrocarbons, which necessitates substantially more energy,” explained Dr. Virgil Andrei from Cambridge’s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, the lead author of the study.
Dr. Andrei, a Research Fellow at St John’s College, Cambridge, conducted this work as part of the Winton Cambridge-Kavli ENSI Exchange programme under Professor Peidong Yang at UC Berkeley.
By integrating a perovskite light absorber with the copper nano-flower catalyst, the researchers succeeded in producing more complex hydrocarbons. To enhance efficiency and tackle the energy challenges associated with splitting water, they incorporated silicon nanowire electrodes that instead oxidize glycerol. This innovative platform yields hydrocarbons significantly better—200 times more effective than previous methods for splitting water and carbon dioxide.
The reaction not only enhances COâ‚‚ reduction capabilities but also generates high-value chemicals such as glycerate, lactate, and formate, which are useful in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and chemical manufacturing.
“Typically, glycerol is viewed as waste, but we found it plays a vital role in accelerating the reaction speed,” said Dr. Andrei. “This shows we can leverage our platform for a broad spectrum of chemical processes beyond mere waste conversion. By meticulously designing the catalyst’s surface area, we can influence the products we create, enhancing the selectiveness of the process.”
While the current selectivity of converting COâ‚‚ to hydrocarbons stands at about 10%, the researchers are hopeful that improvements in catalyst design can boost efficiency. The team anticipates applying their platform to even more intricate organic reactions, paving the way for advancements in sustainable chemical production. With ongoing enhancements, this research could expedite the transition towards a circular, carbon-neutral economy.
“This project exemplifies how global research collaborations can catalyze meaningful scientific progress,” noted Dr. Andrei. “By merging expertise from Cambridge and Berkeley, we’ve crafted a system that could transform the sustainable production of fuels and valuable chemicals.”
The research received partial support from the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability, St John’s College, the US Department of Energy, the European Research Council, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
