Artificial Photosynthesis
Catalysis
Photovoltaics
Photonics
Thermoelectrics

Nanowires are promising building blocks for artificial photosynthesis.
Nanocrystals can be designed with specific catalytic functionality.
Nanowires enable novel solar cell geometries for improved performance.
The nanowire geometry is intriguing for miniaturized optics and photonics.
Nanowires can inhibit heat transport for next-generation thermoelectrics.

Highlighted
News

May 2017

Congratulations to Dandan (Ph.D), Fan (Ph.D), Cindy (B.S.), Nigel (Ph.D) and Yude (Ph.D) on graduating!

Dr. Letian Dou will join the department of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University as an assistant professor. Congratulations!

April 2017

Nigel and Yude have won the MRS Graduate Student Awards, congratulations!

New Scientists reported our photosynthetic cyborg cell research as a cover story. Make like a leaf: How copying photosynthesis can change society

Chong Liu (Ph. D. Chemistry 2015) joins Department of Chemistry, UCLA, as an assistant professor. Congratulations!

March 2017

Rong Fan (Ph. D. Chemistry 2006) has received tenure at Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University! Congratulations!

NASA Selects First-Ever Space Technology Research Institute. As part of the Berkeley CUBES program, we will continue to develop our artificial photosynthesis program to produce chemical fuels, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals from CO2, H2O, N2 and sunlight!

Dr. Jongwoo Lim joins Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University as an assistant professor. Congratulations!

Dandan and Yude won the Chinese Oversea Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Congratulations!

January 2017

Our lab has won a UC Berkeley Excellence in Laboratory Safety Award in the "Large Chemical Sciences Lab" category! Congratulations!

December 2016

Dr. Yi Yu joins Shanghai Tech University as an assistant professor! Congratulations!

November 2016

Peidong retains his status as a Thomson Reuters "Highly Cited Researcher" for the year of 2016. In addition, he has been shortlisted as a Finalist for the 2016 World Technology Awards!

Our work on artificial photosynthesis is featured, among other groups, in C&EN's recent cover story, Will the Artificial Leaf Sprout to Combat Climate Change?

Zhiqiang and Nigel's recent paper is featured by Nature Energy, in Electrocatalysis: Understanding Platinum Migration. Excerpt: "This work is an elegant illustration of the degree of control that synthetic chemists can now achieve when making the next generation of electrocatalytic nanocrystals."

October 2016

Recent graduate Kelsey Sakimoto receives the Kavli Best Student Thesis 2015-16 Award! Congratulations, Kelsey!

Invited by President Obama's office, Peidong will join the White House Frontier Conference, discussing artificial photosynthesis in the Global Frontier track.

September 2016

Our group's photosynthetic hybrid semiconductor-bacteria systems are featured by the Future of Life Institute article, "Artificial Photosynthesis: Can We Harness the Energy of the Sun As Well As Plants?" Excerpt: "Peidong Yang has already created a system of artificial photosynthesis that out-produces nature. If he continues to increase the efficiency and durability of his PBS, artificial photosynthesis could revolutionize our energy use and serve as a sustainable model for generations to come."

Kelsey's work on self-photosensitized photosynthetic bacteria for artificial photosynthesis is featured on the microbiology podcast BacterioFiles.

August 2016

The Global Artificial Photosynthesis Project (Brainchild of Prof. Tom Faunce at Australia National University and several scientists including Peidong) produces its first music CD album: Sustainocene: Beautiful World From Global Artificial Photosynthesis, with a short excerpt from Peidong's talk a couple of years ago.

Sample songs:
Split by Sun - Mark Walmsley, Tom Faunce
Corporatocene - Mark Walmsley, Tom Faunce (ft. Peidong Yang)

Nick is awarded the Royal Society Newton International Fellowship!