Light as a source of energy enables the production of clean hydrogen
UvA researchers take leap forward in ‘clean’ production
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have succeeded in producing hydrogen using light as an energy source. Their findings are reported in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that was published this week. The discovery is important in the context of global energy issues. Hydrogen gas is touted as a form of green energy since its only by-product on combustion is water. However, the use of hydrogen can only be considered ‘clean’ if it can also be produced ‘cleanly’ from recyclable raw materials. It is precisely in this area that a major advance has now been achieved.
Supra-molecular complexes
There are enzymes in nature (so-called hydrogenase enzymes) that generate hydrogen from protons and electrons with great speed and efficiency. There are also ingenious systems in nature that convert light into usable energy. In the process of photosynthesis, light energy is converted into chemical energy. Inspired by these natural processes, the researchers – Joost Reek, Sander Kluwer, Ruta Kapra and Fred Brouwer – developed supra-molecular complexes able to produce hydrogen using light as an energy source. They made synthetic models for the active components using hydrogenase enzymes and the photosynthetic system, and merged these by means of supra-molecular technology (a molecular variant of Velcro).The current results reflect the power of the supra-molecular approach in catalysis research. Using a small set of components, the researchers quickly generated and evaluated a number of analogue structures. Just one of the structures produced the desired reactivity. The supra-molecular approach is not only a very promising method of tracking down new reactivity; it also opens the way for follow-up research where the catalyst will form a part of a larger system.
Publication data
A.M. Kluwer, R. Kapre, F. Hartl, M. Lutz, A.L. Spek, A.M. Brouwer, P.W.N.M van Leeuwen, J.N.H. Reek. ‘Self-assembled Biomimetic [2Fe2S]-Hydrogenase Based Photocatalyst for Molecular Hydrogen Evolution’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 2009.
