Researchers at Yale University have built a solar-powered device that turns carbon dioxide and water into methanol, marking a major step forward in artificial photosynthesis technology. The system works without external electricity, relying entirely on sunlight. The device combines carbon nanotube catalysts with silicon micropillars. It converts sunlight into methanol far more efficiently than earlier artificial leaf systems. The breakthrough could strengthen efforts to capture atmospheric CO2 while producing cleaner liquid fuels. Yale chemistry professor Hailiang Wang said the team drew inspiration directly from nature. Unlike conventional solar systems that generate electricity, the new artificial leaf creates a liquid fuel directly — giving it the advantage of long-term energy storage and compatibility with existing infrastructure. The catalyst converts CO2 and water into methanol through a complex six-electron reaction, using cobalt phthalocyanine molecules on carbon nanotubes. Doctoral researcher Bo Shang developed a redesigned photoelectrode using microscopic silicon pillars coated with fullerene carbon material. Together, the two systems created one of the most efficient silicon-based photoelectrocatalytic methanol conversion devices reported so far. The researchers continue refining the design to improve efficiency and durability, establishing a foundation for larger-scale systems in the future. Source: Interesting Engineering