An artificial photosynthesis system converts sunlight into chemical energy (as opposed to a PV/solar system which produces electricity). Such a system could be used to produce renewable fuels - but developing an efficient system is very challenging. Now researchers form the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology and the Ewha Womans University in Seoul have discovered that a graphene-based photocatalysis could improve the efficiency of such a system.
The researchers coupled graphene to a porphyrin enzyme. The resulting material converts sunlight and carbon dioxide into formic acid. This material is highly functional in the visible light spectrum, and its overall efficiency is significantly higher than the efficiency of other photocatalysts.