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  • Light-harvesting nanoparticle catalysts show promise in quest for renewable carbon-based fuels

    Illustration of a carbon reduction reaction at the surface of a silver nanoparticle in the presence of visible light.

    In the right conditions, silver nanoparticles, represented by the large orange spheres, can absorb visible light. Charge carriers produced by light excitation are transferred to CO2 and water, allowing the conversion to hydrocarbons and other multicarbon molecules. In the graphic, carbon atoms are black, oxygen atoms are red and hydrogen atoms are white.

    Graphic courtesy D. Devasia/Jain Lab/University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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  • Editor’s notes:

    To reach Prashant Jain, call 217-333-3417; email jain@illinois.edu.  

    The paper “A rich catalog of C–C bonded species formed in CO2 reduction on a plasmonic photocatalyst” is available online and from the Illinois News Bureau. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22868-9.