Solar Conversion

The goal of this program is to identify the mechanisms responsible for optimization of photochemical energy conversion in natural photosynthesis, and to use this information for the development of artificial photochemical systems with enhanced photochemical energy conversion.

Strategic Focus:

Fundamental structural studies and physical characterization

• Solar energy conversion in natural and artificial photosynthesis
  • Comparative approach
  • Resolve mechanisms, design principles
• Unique suite of capabilities
• Time-resolved synchrotron X-ray
• Multi-dimensional EPR
• Ultrafast spectroscopy

Design and synthesis

• Bio-inspired chemistry
  • Synthesis of supramolecular structures that implement biological design principles
• Chemistry-inspired biology
• Synthesis of bio-hybrids that use chemical catalysts, photosensitizers to create new solar energy conversion function in biological protein frameworks

Project areas include:

• Photosynthesis and Solar Fuel Hybrids
• Structural Control and Dynamics in Light Induced Energy and Electron Transfer Processes of Model Systems
• Synthesis and Structure-Function Analyses of Photosensitizer-Catalyst Solar Fuels Assemblies
• Redox Protein Hybrid Architectures for Solar Chemical Energy Conversion