1. Nicole S. Rivera Espinal
1st Seminar/Workshop September 4-5, 2014 Dr. Ivonne Ferrer & Dr. Jesús
Velázquez: Artificial Photosynthesis: Towards the Development of Fuels from
Solar Energy
Having the opportunity to see beyond our field of study was a great experience. That was what
happened when Dr. Ferrer and Dr. Velázquez presented their work on a photosynthesis analog
method. It really amazed me to see how they used a leaf as inspiration to create an analog
process of photosynthesis, a process that converts sunlight, water, and carbon
dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen, transforming solar energy into chemical energy using the
leaf as the transforming facility. As they show this artificial leaf will differ from the natural leaf
by producing hydrogens molecules sunlight. This research can have a huge impact on humanity,
because we depend so much of energy and the resources we are exploiting to obtain it are
polluting our environment. With this in mind, quoting Dr. Velázquez, “If the sun is right up
there, why don’t we use it?” Eventually, they could create a scalable system that provides us with
all the energy we need allowing us to feed our energy hungry society.
Having knowledge of the plant like energy transforming work, Dr. Velázquez and Dr. Ferrer
designed a workshop, where we were able to recreate the process for creating an artificial cell. In
order to create it we followed a series of steps. We started by testing the glass for conductivity,
applying the TiO2 Paste to the conductive part of the glass, sintering the anode on a hot plate and
applying the cranberry juice to the electrode with TiO2. Subsequently, we prepared a cathode
(covering with graphite), cleaned the electrode with Ethanol, and assembled the finished anode
conductive side and the cathode conductive side with binder clips. To test the cells we used a
light source. It was a great experience seeing our solar cell voltage when it was hit by light. This
lab provided us with the opportunity to explore the photovoltaics and efficiency of this lab made
solar cell.
