Light-driven hydrogen production from Photosystem I-catalyst hybrids.

Solar energy conversion of water into environmentally clean fuels, such as hydrogen, offers one of the best long-term solutions for meeting future global energy needs. In photosynthesis, high quantum yield charge separation is achieved by a series of rapid, photoinitiated electron transfer steps that take place in proteins called reaction centers (RCs). Of current interest are new strategies that couple RC photochemistry to the direct synthesis of energy-rich molecules, offering opportunities to more directly tune the products of photosynthesis and potentially to increase solar energy conversion capacity. Innovative designs link RC photochemistry with synthetic molecular catalysts to create earth abundant biohybrid complexes that use light to rapidly produce hydrogen from water.