Macromolecules Innovation Institute

Research Interests:

The finite supply of fossil fuels and the possible environmental impact of such energy sources has garnered the scientific community’s attention for the development of alternative, overall carbon-neutral fuel sources. The sun provides enough energy every hour to power the earth for a year. However, two of the remaining challenges that limit the utilization of solar energy are the development of cheap and efficient solar harvesting materials and advances in energy storage technology.  Natural photosynthetic systems utilize the sun’s energy to transform carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates, nature’s stored solar fuel. Artificial photosynthetic systems that can oxidize waer and reduce carbon dioxide efficiently to a solar fuel could represent the breakthrough solar power needs to become a viable energy source.