Abstract

BARRIOS, Celina E.; ALBITER, Elim  and  ZANELLA, Rodolfo. La fotosíntesis artificial, una alternativa para la producción de combustibles. Mundo nano [online]. 2015, vol.8, n.15, pp.6-21.  Epub June 05, 2021. ISSN 2448-5691.  https://doi.org/10.22201/ceiich.24485691e.2015.15.53813.

Artificial photosynthesis is a sustainable option for the production of alternative fuels or energy vectors, such as hydrogen, light hydrocarbons and/or alcohols through CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation reactions. The process of CO2 reduction is called artificial photocatalysis and it jointly involves the water splitting reaction. In this paper, some key aspects related to artificial photosynthesis, which takes place through photocatalysis, are presented and the main properties of the catalysts are analyzed. Some of the techniques to improve the efficiency of the above-mentioned reactions are also summarized; in particular, the use of catalysts with gold as co-catalysts is analyzed. In addition, current cultural and scientific challenges to develop and apply this process, which would allow obtaining eco-friendly fuels, are also presented.

Keywords : artificial photosynthesis; photocatalysis; gold.