Hydrogen through Sunlight

Kalina Peneva and her PhD candidate Konrad Hotzel are investigating functional dyes. Image: Anne Günther (University of Jena) - For hydrogen to be sustainably produced using sunlight, it's not just an efficient catalyst system that's needed - it must also be economical, readily available, and resource-efficient. A team led by chemist Kalina Peneva from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry at the University of Jena has made a step in this direction. In their research, the group developed dyes that are metal-free, simple to produce, and can transfer absorbed light energy to a catalyst to produce hydrogen. Innovative Dye Molecules. "More precisely, these dye molecules, also called photosensitizers, absorb light and convert its energy into a long-lived excited state within the molecule," explains Peneva. She compares this process to fluorescence, as seen in objects or garments that glow brightly under black light.