Elementary school children are taught that photosynthesis is the basis for life on Earth.  Plants take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, water and sunlight, and produce useful chemical energy – their “fuel” for growth and reproduction.  But is it possible to create synthetic photosynthesis?

Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin believe it is. The “Fuels from Sunlight” team hopes to show how to efficiently absorb sunlight and split water into clean hydrogen (H2) fuel without production of CO2, a greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.

The UT Austin team, headed by chemistry professor Allen Bard and chemical engineering professor Charles Mullins, lead the University’s Center for Electrochemistry, a multi-faculty collaboration devoted to research on fundamental and applied aspects