Editorial Cite This: ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 3357−3357
pubs.acs.org/acscatalysis
Report from the Chemical Sciences and Society Meeting Focusing on Future Challenges in Photocatalysis
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classical thermal catalytic approaches to form fuels and chemicals from CO2 and H2 via processes similar to the conventional Fischer−Tropsch or Sabatier processes. These approaches would not require significant changes in current infrastructure and the nature of fuels and chemicals would not be any different. Direct photochemical CO2 photoreduction, while seen as potentially promising, was recognized to be a longer term, higher risk objective, mainly due to the severe constraints in product selectivity, with the H2 evolution reaction being the critical competing reaction. In the context of the above-mentioned catalytic chemical transformations, the summit concluded that more efficient catalysts for oxygen evolution and CO2 reduction reactions are required. These catalysts should preferentially be based on abundant elements. It was emphasized that these materials need to be stable under reactions conditions and at relevant (long) time scales. Rational and systematic integration of electrocatalysts with semiconductor light absorbers in a multifunctional operating device (a photocatalyst) was seen as an area that required extensive development. The summit also highlighted the need for standardizing the way results of various studies are reported in terms of catalyst performance and stability. On a more personal note, the summit left me with an impression that over the last 15 years we have made incredible strides in our pursuit of sustainable, sun-powered energy technologies. These include significant increases in the efficiencies of photovoltaic devices (reaching over 20% efficiency) and water splitting devices (reaching solar-tohydrogen conversion efficiency of 15%), improved control over synthesis approaches that allow us to manipulate light through the use of photonic devices, as well as the development of materials for up-conversion and down-conversion of photons. I hope the next years will lead to amplified efforts in this space, which will eventually lead us to a sustainable economy where all the required ingredients are derived from air, water, and sunlight.
t was my privilege to lead the American Chemical Society (ACS) delegation at the seventh CS3 Chemical Sciences and Society (CS3) meeting, held in Dalian, China, September 5−8, 2017. The CS3 series (https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/ global/international/regional/eventsglobal/cs3.html), hosted by the funding agencies and chemical societies of the United States, Germany, China, Japan, and the United Kingdom, convenes eminent researchers from each participating country to explore frontier chemistry research and its potential application to global challenges. The 2017 topic was Solar Energy & Photonics for a Sustainable Future. It specifically focused on the following: • • • •
Photocatalysis for water splitting Photovoltaic materials with abundant elements Artificial photosynthesis for CO2 reduction Photonic materials and photon up-conversion
The CS3 summits are designed to inform funding agencies and policy stakeholders about recent progress in emerging fields of chemistry. Our goal was to assess the current state of solar energy science and technologies, identify the most pressing research challenges in these areas, and make recommendations about the future directions of the field. The ACS delegation also included Harry Atwater (California Institute of Technology), Vivian Ferry (University of Minnesota), Jerry Meyer (University of North Carolina), and Gordana Dukovic (University of Colorado at Boulder). The delegation was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). We reached a number of important conclusions and suggested critical areas of research that require further development. These are jointly published by all delegations in the conference white paper that can be found free of charge at https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/global/international/ regional/eventsglobal/cs3.html. Since ACS Catalysis focuses on serving the catalysis community, I will share the most critical conclusions related to the field of catalysis. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has been steadily increasing, recently reaching over 400 ppm. This increase in the CO2 levels has been accompanied by steady changes in our environment, manifested in coral reef bleaching, glacier melting, and extreme weather events. There is a significant body of evidence suggesting that there is a cause and effect relationship between these environmental changes and increases in atmospheric CO2 levels. The summit emphasized the need for addressing the CO2 challenge, stressing the critical need for finding ways to reduce CO2 using H2O and sunlight. It was acknowledged that catalysis plays the central role in most of the proposed longterm solutions. It was recognized that there should be significant efforts in CO2 capture and solar water splitting to form abundant, affordable, and clean H2. It was argued that these developments would open up avenues for the use of © XXXX American Chemical Society
Suljo Linic, Associate Editor
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University of Michigan
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
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DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b00907 ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 3357−3357
