Learning some new steps in the energy conversion dance

Coupling energy transfer with proton transfer could illuminate new directions in energy conversions. At the heart of energy conversion, electrons and protons move in an intricate, coordinated dance. Chemists at Yale and in Sweden say they may have learned the steps to a new, photo-chemical rhumba. The discovery, published in the journal Science , could provide insights into the way the natural world converts solar energy into fuel, such as in photosynthesis. That knowledge may aid in the design of new solar energy technology and solar cells. Although it is rare to discover a new, fundamental type of mechanism, this molecular system was primed to reveal such intriguing behavior,- said Sharon Hammes-Schiffer , Sterling Professor of Chemistry at Yale. -This work was only possible through a strong collaboration between theory and experiment.