Harry Gray: Powering the Planet with Solar Fuel

Presented By:

Caltech Committee on Institute Programs

This event was digitally recorded and is available for viewing on the Caltech Theater site. Many past Watson Lectures are available for viewing online on the Caltech Theater site, and are available for purchase: DVD Order Form (PDF)

Many research groups are trying to find efficient and economical ways of storing solar energy in chemical bonds. A major goal is to split water into its elemental components — hydrogen and oxygen — using solar-driven molecular machines that are designed to be even more efficient than natural photosynthesis. Great progress toward this goal has been made recently in work at Caltech on nanoscale water-splitting devices built from Earth-abundant elements.

Harry B. Gray is Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry and Founding Director of the Beckman Institute at Caltech.

Harry Gray