Thiruvananthapuram (The Hawk): Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in this city and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Indore have investigated and created a new artificial light-harvesting system that can effectively capture light for power conversion by imitating photosynthesis, the process by which plants absorb sunlight and produce sugar.
The findings of this investigation have been presented in the esteemed Royal Chemical Society journal, Chemical Science.
Dr. Sukhendu Mandal, an associate professor in the department of chemistry, along with his research assistants and Prof. Biswarup Pathak, a professor in the department at IIT Indore, are co-authors of the work.
With regard to the atomically exact molecule they created, Mandal described it as an assembly of 16 silver atoms, a ligand, and cyclodextrin that serves as a donor and I-carotene as an acceptor. This is the first application in which we have used an atom-precise nanocluster.
According to Mandal, "the opposing charges on the surfaces and the matched electrical energy distribution result in a 93% efficiency in energy transmission with a strong antenna effect from the UV to visible portion of the light spectrum."
Additionally, the researchers demonstrated that this energy may generate current with far higher yields than the sum of its parts.
This discovery coincides with the fact that researchers are working hard to construct systems that can mimic the photosynthesis process in order to create fake leaves or solar cells.
Chromophores are molecules that collect visible light and transmit it to other parts of plants and other photosynthetic microorganisms, where the energy is used for a variety of chemical reactions. They are the light-harvesting cores in these organisms.
The light-harvesting mechanism's molecular and atomic structure has been replicated in the lab a number of times. To imitate photosynthesis, polymeric structures, detergent-like compounds, vesicles, gels, and other bio-inspired structures have been employed.
The most frequent issue that these molecules run into is that the light is quenched as a result of the molecules aggregating or gathering together. Poor light capture and conversion efficiencies result from this.
The quenching issues with artificial light absorbers and transmitters have been solved by experts from IISER TVM and IIT Indore.
According to the research team's current thinking, this fundamental study of extremely effective energy transfer systems will serve as the foundation for the development of novel light-harvesting materials that can increase solar cells' efficiency and decrease energy loss.
This is crucial, according to Mandal, as India wants to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070 and fulfil 50% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030.
Although there is still much work to be done before these kinds of materials are widely used in solar energy production, the researchers believe that their research moves the goal of efficiency enhancement one step closer to reality.
(Inputs from Agencies)