Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

In Vitro Reconstitution of Light-harvesting Complexes of Plants and Green Algae
Published on: October 10, 2014
Interfacial Differentiated Recoordination Trigger Asymmetric Bi (δ+)-Bi (δ-) Regions for Robust CO2 Photosynthesis to
Zhiwei Shao1, Caichao Ye2, Yi Zhang3
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, National Special Superfine Powder Engineering Research Center, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, P. R. China.
None:
Direct solar-driven conversion of CO2 and H2O into high-value-added C2 products, such as acetic acid, represents a critical frontier challenge in artificial photosynthesis. However, its efficiency is primarily constrained by sluggish photogenerated charge migration and the dynamics limitations for C-C coupling. This paper reports a "disorder-induced reconstruction" strategy that utilizes the inherent local disorder of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to induce the construction of asymmetric active centers on the surface of Bi24O31Br10 (BOB), inducing atomic-scale reconstruction and spontaneously forming extended regions with asymmetric Bi(δ+)-Bi(δ-) bimetallic sites. Without the use of sacrificial agents or noble metal co-catalysts, the resulting catalyst exhibits excellent performance in the conversion of CO2 to acetate, with a yield as high as 1.03 mmol g-1 h-1 and a selectivity of 97.63%. The apparent quantum efficiencies of catalyst can reach 13.75% and 8.33% at 380 and 400 nm, respectively. This work reveals a previously unknown mechanism for reconstructing inorganic surfaces into asymmetric active structural units using local disorder in organic modifiers, providing a paradigm for the design of next-generation photocatalysts.
Related Concept Videos
Woodward–Hoffmann Selection Rules and Microscopic Reversibility
[3,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement of 1,5-Dienes: Cope Rearrangement
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Photosystem I
Both these photosystems work in concert. An excited electron from PSII is relayed to PSI via an electron transport chain in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast, which is comprised of the carrier molecule plastoquinone, the dual-protein cytochrome complex, and plastocyanin. As electrons move between PSII and PSI, they lose energy and must be re-energized...
