Artificial Inorganic Leafs for Efficient Photochemical Hydrogen Production Inspired by Natural Photosynthesis

Artificial inorganic leafs are developed by organizing light harvesting, photoinduced charge separation, and catalysis modules (Pt/N-TiO2) into leaf-shaped hierarchical structures using natural leaves as biotemplates (see figure). The enhanced light-harvesting and photocatalytic water-splitting activities stem from the reproduction of the leafs' complex structures and self-doping of nitrogen during synthesis. The research may represent an important first step toward the design of novel artificial solar-energy transduction systems based on natural concepts, particularly on mimicking the structural design.