Scientists create an artificial photosynthesis system that "mimics" plants, transforms water and CO2 into solar fuel, and even works without relying on expensive batteries to control the energy.

Scientists create an artificial photosynthesis system that “mimics” plants, transforms water and CO2 into solar fuel, and even works without relying on expensive batteries to control the energy.

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 11/06/2026 at 21:50

Be the first to react!

Japanese researchers redesigned the electrolyzer of an artificial photosynthesis system to produce formic acid with more stability under sunlight, using a self-regulating solid electrolyte that reduces the dependence on batteries and expensive external components.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have developed an artificial photosynthesis system that produces formic acid with stability under sunlight, without relying on batteries to control energy variations throughout the day.

Photosynthesis system uses internal chemical adjustment

The innovation lies in the redesigned electrolyzer. Instead of relying on external equipment to regulate voltage and current, the device received a solid electrolyte to assume this function.

This component reduces the need for batteries, converters, and additional electronic systems. Thus, the technology aims to decrease the complexity and cost of the structure used to transform solar energy into fuel.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

How the electrolyzer replaces controls with batteries

In conventional systems, a challenge is maintaining efficiency when solar incidence changes. For this, Maximum Power Point Tracking, known by the acronym MPPT, is used.

This method adjusts voltage and current so that the solar cells provide the maximum possible power. The problem is that traditional configurations require batteries and extra components to smooth the flow.

The team led by Yasuo Matsubara and Yutaka Amao, from the Artificial Photosynthesis Research Center at Osaka Metropolitan University, worked with Iida Group Holdings Co., Ltd to integrate this function into the electrolyzer.

The system takes advantage of thermal and impedance properties. When sunlight increases, the electrolyzer heats up. This heating reduces electrical resistance, allowing electricity to flow better and automatically adjusting electrical behavior.

Formic acid was produced outdoors

In outdoor tests, the system produced formic acid from water and CO2, even with fluctuations in sunlight.

Matsubara stated that the team presented the research at the Joint Pavilion Iida Group × Osaka Metropolitan University during the Expo Kansai 2025. There, the formic acid powered a diorama.

The results were published in the journal EES Solar and indicate a path towards simpler, automated artificial photosynthesis systems that are less dependent on expensive components.

What do you think of this advancement? The production of solar fuel with fewer batteries could open up domestic and industrial applications, but it depends on further testing and development. Leave your opinion in the comments and tell us if this technology seems viable for the future.

Article made with information from the study by Osaka Metropolitan University.

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Scientists create an artificial photosynthesis system that “mimics” plants, transforms water and CO2 into solar fuel, and even works without relying on expensive batteries to control the energy.

Japanese researchers redesigned the electrolyzer of an artificial photosynthesis system to produce formic acid with more stability under sunlight, using a self-regulating solid electrolyte that reduces the dependence on batteries and expensive external components.

Photosynthesis system uses internal chemical adjustment

The gigawatt era has arrived for artificial intelligence data centers, which already consume the energy of an entire city to train machines.

How the electrolyzer replaces controls with batteries

Formic acid was produced outdoors

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Motorcyclist sees excavator arriving at the edge of a river in Bosnia, calls neighbors in minutes and turns a hydroelectric project into a resistance lasting more than 10 years with five expired concessions.

Mathematician who claims to have predicted the last three champions points out the winner of the 2026 World Cup, and the name that came out of the model surprised many people.

Industry rumors suggest that Apple might equip the iPhone 21 with a 200-megapixel ultrawide camera around 2028, a leap that would bring the brand closer to Android rivals, although the sources themselves admit that the change is still uncertain.

Capacitor uses pure water to store electricity and surprises by surpassing 60,000 charge cycles without chemical electrolytes.

Senate approves explosive measures that could cost R$ 263.7 billion and include rural refinancing, a minimum wage of R$ 13,662 for doctors and dentists, and special retirement for health agents.

South Africa is investing billions of dollars to transform the desert into a green hydrogen hub, with solar plants, wind farms, and a new port, in the ambition to become one of the largest exporters of this fuel.

Scientists create an artificial photosynthesis system that “mimics” plants, transforms water and CO2 into solar fuel, and even works without relying on expensive batteries to control the energy.

Japanese researchers redesigned the electrolyzer of an artificial photosynthesis system to produce formic acid with more stability under sunlight, using a self-regulating solid electrolyte that reduces the dependence on batteries and expensive external components.

Photosynthesis system uses internal chemical adjustment

The gigawatt era has arrived for artificial intelligence data centers, which already consume the energy of an entire city to train machines.

How the electrolyzer replaces controls with batteries

Formic acid was produced outdoors

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Motorcyclist sees excavator arriving at the edge of a river in Bosnia, calls neighbors in minutes and turns a hydroelectric project into a resistance lasting more than 10 years with five expired concessions.

Industry rumors suggest that Apple might equip the iPhone 21 with a 200-megapixel ultrawide camera around 2028, a leap that would bring the brand closer to Android rivals, although the sources themselves admit that the change is still uncertain.

Capacitor uses pure water to store electricity and surprises by surpassing 60,000 charge cycles without chemical electrolytes.

South Africa is investing billions of dollars to transform the desert into a green hydrogen hub, with solar plants, wind farms, and a new port, in the ambition to become one of the largest exporters of this fuel.

While firefighters are still putting on protective gear, an Austrian robotic dog can already be inside the danger zone sniffing out toxic substances and transmitting live images, saving precious minutes and keeping the team out of harm’s way.

“Lazy” DNA reveals the secret of sloths and shows how jumping genes can explain slow metabolism and surprising longevity

Mathematician who claims to have predicted the last three champions points out the winner of the 2026 World Cup, and the name that came out of the model surprised many people.

Industry rumors suggest that Apple might equip the iPhone 21 with a 200-megapixel ultrawide camera around 2028, a leap that would bring the brand closer to Android rivals, although the sources themselves admit that the change is still uncertain.

Capacitor uses pure water to store electricity and surprises by surpassing 60,000 charge cycles without chemical electrolytes.

Senate approves explosive measures that could cost R$ 263.7 billion and include rural refinancing, a minimum wage of R$ 13,662 for doctors and dentists, and special retirement for health agents.

South Africa is investing billions of dollars to transform the desert into a green hydrogen hub, with solar plants, wind farms, and a new port, in the ambition to become one of the largest exporters of this fuel.