Accessing medicines worldwide using solar light

Leaves on a plant employ the photosynthetic process to convert water and CO2 into sugars, powered by sunlight. Similarly, artificial leaves can be designed to use solar power to generate synthetic molecules in a renewable fashion which offers the opportunity for sustainable chemical synthesis regardless of location. The project aims to combine artificial photosynthesis with biocatalysts in bio-hybrid devices that employ solar energy to synthesize important chemicals, such as building blocks for medicines.

In her research, Tessel Bouwens seeks to develop an artificial leaf that employs solar energy to drive the transformation of simple feedstock molecules to create complex, chiral molecules used in pharmaceuticals.