Artificial photosynthesis is a promising method for producing renewable energy by use of sun light.  Artificial photosynthesis employing the modified Z-sheme of natural photosynthesis can be exploited both for the oxidation and reduction of water.  Oxidation of water is successively achieved by the use of cobalt and manganese oxides with the cations in the 3+ state with one e_g electron. Hydrogen can be produced by the dye-sensitized photochemical process or by the use of semiconductor heterostructures. In this presentation, ways of splitting water will be presented, followed by recent results obtained on the photochemical generation of hydrogen by different strategies specially those involving semiconductor heterostructures of the type ZnO/Pt/CdS or nanosheets of chalcogenides such as MoS₂ and MoSe₂.  Other novel strategies for hydrogen generation such as the solar-thermal route based on oxides⁶ will also be examined.

Professor CNR Rao is currently the National Research Professor, Linus Pauling Research Professor and Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore which he founded in 1989. He was appointed Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister in January 2005, a position which he had occupied earlier during 1985–89. He is also the director of the International Centre for Materials Science (ICMS). He has served as Director of the Indian Institute of Science.  He has published 1500 journal papers and co-authored/edited 45 books.  He has been a member/fellow of the leading Science Academies in the world including the Royal Society, US National Academy of Science, French Academy, Japan Academy, Russian Academy, TWAS, Australian Academy of Science, Chinese Academy of Science.  He received “Bharat Ratna” (Jewel of India) from President of India and only the third scientist to receive this honour in the history of Independent India.  He received honorary doctorates from Oxford, Purdue, Wales, Colorado and many other Universities.  Prof. Rao is the most prominent and highly regarded scientist internationally.