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Artificial Photosynthesis
Hydrogen (a.k.a., atomic No. 1) makes up about three-fourths of all matter and is the lightest and most plentiful element in the universe. No wonder scientists have long searched for ways to transform hydrogen into a clean, sustainable solar fuel source.
The ultimate goal is to be able to split water into oxygen and hydrogen using only sunlight, through a process of artificial photosynthesis, and to use the resulting hydrogen as a clean fuel whose only byproduct is water. But this has proven more difficult, and expensive, than initially imagined. The challenges, say researchers, include developing a light collector, a catalyst to oxidize the water, and a catalyst to reduce the water to hydrogen. ... more
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