Our group has pioneered the creation of an artificial quantasome: a breakthrough in renewable energy research inspired by nature's photosynthetic machinery.

The term quantasome refers to the minimal functional unit in photosynthesis capable of "quantum" solar energy conversion, as first observed in chloroplasts. Like its natural counterpart, this artificial quantasome couples light-harvesting molecules with a water oxidation catalyst, enabling efficient transformation of solar energy into chemical energy. Using perylene bisimide (PBI) chromophores and a polyoxometalate (POM) catalyst, the assembly mimics the structure of photosystem II (PSII). This design significantly boosts light absorption and achieves high-efficiency oxygen evolution from water using visible light, a crucial step toward scalable artificial photosynthesis.