Innovative Solar Biohydrogen System: Harnessing Light for Sustainable Energy

**Professor Chiyoung Park** from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST, in collaboration with Professor Hyojung Cha, has made significant strides in *solar biohydrogen production*. Utilizing a newly developed supramolecular fluorophore nanocomposite, they designed a system that combines metal-polyphenol polymers and fluorescent dyes to emulate the natural photosynthetic process. This innovative system uses **tannic acid-based metal-polyphenol polymers** to control self-assembly and optical properties, crucial for effective electron transfer and photoexcitation. A notable aspect of this research is the modification of *rhodamine* (a fluorescent dye) into an amphiphilic structure, enhancing the photocatalyst's performance and durability. When applied, this technology demonstrated a hydrogen production performance of approximately 18.4 mmol/h per gram of catalyst, which is 5.6 times higher than previous studies. Crucially, the system integrates the supramolecular dye with the bacterium **Shewanella oneidensis MR-1**, enabling the conversion of *ascorbic acid (vitamin C)* into hydrogen via the *visible spectrum*. The study, supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, has been published in *Angewandte Chemie International Edition*.