a new direction for fuels and chemical synthesis science
Light from the sun is the most abundant energy resource on Earth. A central challenge of our time is learning how to capture that energy and store it in the chemical bonds of fuels, chemicals, and materials used in our economy.
Inspired by photosynthesis in plants, scientists at LiSA, also known as the Fuels Hub, are designing materials and chemical processes that use photons and electrons to convert water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen into energy-rich liquid fuels and valuable chemicals. Making these products directly from such abundant feedstocks offers an efficient method to store and dispatch energy, opening a new potential pathway for energy supply.
LiSA is developing the scientific principles for co-designing durable, coupled microenvironments that drive photochemical and electrochemical synthesis efficiently and selectively. Its research goals center on understanding and controlling the catalytic, interfacial, and transport processes that govern how carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water are converted into fuels, chemicals, and materials with high selectivity and lasting stability.
To speed our progress, LiSA is combining artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high-throughput experimentation with data science methods to accelerate the discovery of new synthesis routes for fuels and chemicals. The team rapidly generates, curates, and learns from materials datasets and reaction outcomes. This opens a new route to identify promising catalysts, light absorbers, and reaction conditions much faster than traditional trial-and-error approaches. These discoveries become the building blocks for novel photochemical and electrochemical processes that can be assembled into integrated systems.
Founded in 2020, LiSA is one of two projects in the Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences.
