ESP Biography

Nature produces energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. How can we engineer artificial systems to produce energy sustainably in a similar way? After briefly describing how photosynthesis naturally occurs, we will present a few artificial systems showing possible solutions.

Growing up, we learn that photosynthesis is the conversion of carbon dioxyde and water into sugars and dioxygen under light. More generally, it is a combination of chemical and photochemical reactions made by plants and bacteria to transform light energy into chemical energy (a.k.a. fuels). In this class, we will have an overview of the whole natural process and highlight that it is more complex than simply sticking some CO2 molecules together. We will also talk about the exciting perspective of artificial photosynthesis: starting from the lessons of nature, how can we produce fuels from CO2 or water or other simple molecules?