Results and Publications

Research Areas & Activities Solar Energy Design and Fabrication of the First All-Carbon-Based Solar Cell Upconverting Electrodes for Improved Solar Energy Conversion Advanced Electron Transport Materials for Application in Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) Ultra-High Efficiency Thermophotovoltaic Solar Cells Using Metallic Photonic Crystals as Intermediate Absorber and Emitter Nanostructured Materials for High-Efficiency Thin Film Solar Cells Photon Enhanced Thermionic Emission (PETE) for Solar Concentrator Systems Hot Carrier Solar Cell: Implementation of the Ultimate Photovoltaic Converter Plasmonic Photovoltaics Self-sorting of Metallic Carbon Nanotubes for High Performance Large Area Low Cost Transparent Electrodes Artificial Photosynthesis: Membrane-Supported Assemblies that Use Sunlight to Split Water Lateral Nanoconcentrator Nanowire Multijunction Photovoltaic Cells Molecular Solar Cells Advanced Materials and Devices for Low-Cost and High-Performance Organic Photovoltaic Cells Inorganic Nanocomposite Solar Cells by ALD Nanostructured Silicon-Based Tandem Solar Cells Photosynthetic Bioelectricity Nanostructured Metal-Organic Composite Solar Cells Ordered Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaic Cells Biomass Energy Hydrogen Advanced Combustion CO₂ Capture CO₂ Storage Advanced Materials & Catalysts Advanced Coal Advanced Transportation Advanced Electric Grid Grid Storage Other Renewables Integrated Assessment Advanced Nuclear Energy Geoengineering Exploratory Efforts All Activities Analysis Activities Technical Reports

Research

Artificial Photosynthesis: Membrane-Supported Assemblies that Use Sunlight to Split Water

Start Date: August 2007
Status: Completed

Investigators

Nathan S. Lewis and Harry B. Gray, Department of Chemistry; Harry A. Atwater, Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science, California Institute of Technology

Annual Reports

Publications

Lancaster, K. M., O. Farver, S. Wherland, E. J. Crane III, J. H. Richards, I. Pecht, and H. B. Gray. “Electron transfer reactivity of type zero pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, 4865-4873 (2011).
Boettcher, S. W., E. L. Warren, M. C. Putnam, E. Santori, D. Turner-Evans, M. D. Kelzenberg, M. G. Walter, H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis.“Photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution using Si microwire arrays,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, 5, 1216-1219, doi: 10.1021/ja108801m (2011).
Lancaster, K. M., Sproules, S., Palmer, J. H., Richards, J. H., and Gray, H. B. “Outer-sphere effects on reduction potentials of copper sites in proteins: The curious case of high potential type 2 C112D/M121E pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 132, 14590-14595, doi: 10.1021/ja105731x (2010).
Leenheer, A. J. and H. A. Atwater. “Water splitting photoelectrolysis reaction rate via microscopic imaging of evolved oxygen bubbles,” J. Electrochem. Soc. 157, 9, B1290-B1294 (2010).
Warren, E. L., S. W. Boettcher, M. G. Walter, H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis. “pH-independent, 520 mV open-circuit voltages of Si/Methyl Viologen2+/+ contacts through use of radial n+p-Si junction microwire array photoelectrodes,” J. Phys Chem. C. 115, 2, 594-598, doi: 10.1021/jp109147p (2010).
Gray, H. B. and J. R. Winkler. “Electron flow through proteins,” Chem. Phys. Letters 483, 1-3, 1-9, doi: 10.1016/j.cplett.2009.10.051 (2009).
Boettcher, S. W., E. L. Warren, M. C. Putnam, E. Santori, D. Turner-Evans, M. D. Kelzenberg, M. G. Walter, H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis. “Photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution from VLS-grown Pt-coated p-Si and pn-Si wafers and microwire arrays.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. (In preparation, 2010).
Hartings, M. R., Kurnikov, I. V., Dunn, A. R., Winkler, J. R., Gray, H. B., and M. A. Ratner. “Electron tunneling through sensitizer wires bound to proteins.” Coord. Chem. Rev., Vol. 254, No. 3-4, pp. 248-253, doi:10.1016/j.ccr.2009.08.008 (2010).
Boettcher, S. W., J. M. Spurgeon, M. C. Putnam, E. L. Warren, D. B. Turner-Evans, M. D. Kelzenberg, J. R. Maiolo, H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis. “Energy-conversion properties of vapor-liquid-solid–grown silicon wire-array photocathodes.” Science, 327 (5962) 185-187, doi:10.1126/science.1180783 (2009).
Dempsey, J. L., Brunschwig, B. S., Winkler, J. R., H. B. Gray. “Hydrogen evolution catalyzed by cobaloximes.” Acc. Chem. Res., 42 (12), 1995-2004, doi:10.1021/ar900253e (2009).
Gray, H. B., Winkler, J. R. “Electron flow through proteins.” Chem. Phys. Letters, 483 (1-3), 1-9, doi:10.1016/j.cplett.2009.10.051 (2009).
Lancaster, K. M., DeBeer George, S., Yokoyama, K., Richards, J.H., Gray, H.B. “Type zero copper proteins.” Nature Chemistry, Vol. 1, pp. 711-715, doi:10.1038/nchem.412 (2009).
Yokoyama, K. “Experience of overseas study.” Electrochemistry, 77 (12), 1055-1056 (2009).
Katz, J. E., T. R. Gingrich, E. A. Santori, and N. S. Lewis. “Combinatorial synthesis and high-throughput photopotential and photocurrent screening of mixed-metal oxides for photoelectrochemicalwater splitting.” Energy and Environmental Science, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 103-112 (2009).
Lancaster, K. M., K. Yokoyama, J. H. Richards, J. R.Winkler, and H. B. Gray. “High-potential C112D/M121X (X = M, E, H, L) pseudomonas aeruginosa azurins.” Inorg. Chem., Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 278-1280, doi:10.1021/ic802322e (2009).
Gray, H. B. “Powering the planet with solar fuel.” Nature Chemistry, Vol. 1, No. 7 doi:10.1038/nchem.141 (2009).
Lancaster, K. M., K. Yokoyama, J. H. Richards, J. R. Winkler, and H. B. Gray. “Modified protein active sites: Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurins.” (In preparation, 2008).
Katz, J., T. Gingrich, B. Brunschwig, and N. Lewis. “A novel rapid combinatorial screen for photocatalyst discovery.” (In preparation, 2008).
Spurgeon, J. M., H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis. “A comparison between the behavior of nanorod and planar Cd(Se, Te) photoelectrodes.” J. Phys. Chem. C, 112, 6186, doi:10.1021/jp077481u (2008).
Maiolo III, J. R., H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis. “Macroporous silicon as a model for silicon wire array solar cells.” J. Phys. Chem., C, Vol. 112, No. 15, 6186-6193 (2008).
Spurgeon, J. M., K. E. Plass, B. M. Kayes, B. S. Brunschwig, H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis. “Repeated epitaxial growth and transfer of arrays of patterned, vertically aligned, crystalline Si wires from a single Si(111) substrate.” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 93, No. 3, Article No. 032112 (2008).
Plass, K. E., M. A. Filler, J. M. Spurgeon, B. M. Kayes, S. Maldonado, B. S. Brunschwig, H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis. “Flexible polymer-embedded Si wire arrays.” Advanced Materials, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 325-325, doi:10.1002/adma.200802006 (2008).
Yokoyama, K. B. S. Leigh, Y. Sheng, K. Niki, N. Nakamura, H. Ohno, J. R. Winkler, H. B. Gray, and J. H., Richards. “Electron tunneling through Pseudomonas aeruginosa Azurins.” Inorg. Chim. Acta, Vol. 361, No. 4, pp. 1095-1099, doi:10.1016/j.ica.2007.08.022 (2008).
Maiolo III, J. R., B. M. Kayes, M. A. Filler, M. C. Putnam, M. D. Kelzenberg, H. A. Atwater, and N. S. Lewis. “High aspect ratio silicon wire array photoelectrochemical cells.” J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 129, No. 41, 12346, doi:10.1021/ja074897c (2007).

Updated June 2011