Copper Nanoflowers Use Sunlight to Convert CO₂ into Hydrocarbons
(Illustratie: University of Cambridge)
February 3, 2025 – Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an efficient method for producing hydrocarbons using solar energy.
The system integrates a light-absorbing perovskite sheet with a copper “nanoflower” catalyst to convert carbon dioxide into valuable molecules. Unlike most metal catalysts, which can only transform CO₂ into single-carbon molecules, the copper nanoflowers produce two-carbon hydrocarbons such as ethane and ethylene – key building blocks for liquid fuels, chemicals, and plastics.
The research was published in Nature Catalysis on February 3 under the title ‘Perovskite-Driven Solar C₂ Hydrocarbon Synthesis from CO₂.’
