Development of artificial photosynthetic system with efficient photocatalytic oxidation of water

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Chemical conversion of solar energy by artificial photosynthesis: a breakthrough by fusion of related fields toward realization of practical processes
• Project/Area Number: 24107003
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Science and Engineering
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: Inoue Haruo 首都大学東京, 都市環境科学研究科, 特任教授 (90087304)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 八木 政行 新潟大学, 自然科学系, 教授 (00282971) ; 神谷 信夫 大阪市立大学, 複合先端研究機構, 教授 (60152865) ; 野口 巧 名古屋大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (60241246)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-06-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 人工光合成 / 光合成 / 再生可能エネルギー / 水の酸化 / 過酸化水素 / X線回折構造解析 / 分子触媒 / PSII

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Construction of artificial photosynthetic system with water as an electron donor has been studied on the stand point of learning nature and trying to exceed her even in a limited function. The structure of PSII in natural photosynthetic system has been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction study to succeed in revealing an intact structure without any damage under the extremely small X-ray dose conditions. A dynamic behavior of PSII in the transition of S2→S3 has been clearly observed by transient FT-IR spectroscopy to find an insertion process of water molecule into the PSII Kok cycle. Novel molecular catalyst for oxidation of water to form two-electron oxidation product, hydrogen peroxide, initiated by one-electron oxidation of the catalyst has been developed for the first time. Novel type of di-nuclear Ru(II) complex with high reactivity of water oxidation was synthesized.

Free Research Field

光化学