With an efficiency of some 3% for converting sunlight into chemical energy, photosynthesis is not particularly great for storing energy. Researchers are seeking new avenues to improve upon photosynthesis. Technology for making an “artificial leaf” holds the potential for opening an era of “fast-food energy,” in which people generate their own electricity at home with low-cost equipment perfect for not only the 3 billion people living in developing countries. That’s among the prospects emerging from research on a new genre of “electrofuels” described in the November 28 edition of Chemical & Engineering News. In the article, C&EN reporter Stephen K.… Login to continue

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