Arizona State University has received a $14 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish an Energy Frontier Research Center, which will study ways of using solar energy to convert water into oxygen and hydrogen fuel.
The center will study the use of natural photosynthesis processes to oxidize water, producing oxygen and fuel compounds such as carbohydrates and hydrogen, the university said.
The center, one of 46 being established by the DOE, will be directed by Devens Gust, an ASU chemistry professor.
ASU's center is one of 16 funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Obama administration's stimulus plan to revitalize the economy.
The centers provide employment for post-doctoral associates, graduate students, undergraduates and technical staff in keeping with the act's attempt to preserve and create jobs, the university said.
