翻译练习：Creating Fuel From Thin Air With Artificial Leaves(3)

Creating Fuel From Thin Air With Artificial Leaves(3)

用人造叶片凭空创造燃料（3）

光合作用

Chase, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill(UNC), is working on practical applications similar to the Cambridge device by developing systems that, like solar panels, use semiconductors to absorb light, and then use various different catalysts to convert the carbon dioxide to fuel.

蔡斯（就是在2里提到的太阳能转化为液体燃料中心），由北卡罗来纳大学教堂分校来负责，这个实际应用的装置与剑桥大学开发的那个系统类似。比如一些太阳能板，使用半导体吸收光线，然后再使用各种各样不同的催化剂来把二氧化碳转化为燃料。

A particular focus of research, says Chase deputy director Prof Jillian Dempsey, is the concept of cascade catalysts. Turning carbon dioxide into a usable fuel involves making more than one chemical transformation - and catalysts can handle only one at a time.

蔡斯副主任吉莉安・邓普西教授表示，这个研究特别重要的是，级联催化剂概念。把二氧化碳变为可以使用的燃料需要多步的化学转化——而催化剂只能一次加速一种反应的速度。

"The first one does the first step, and then passes its product off to the next catalyst," she says. "Each one would be operating a very highly selective process, and handing off after that inpidual step to the partner down the road."

“第一种催化剂作用于第一步，然后再把产物交给下一种催化剂，”她说：“每一步的操作都有非常高的标准，然后再交给下一个与众不同的步骤，依次往下。”

The Lisa project is taking a more theoretical approach, focused on improving every stage and component of artificial photosynthesis. Potential catalysts and processes are modelled by computer before they're tried out.

莉莎项目更多是一个科研项目，更多关注提升光合作用的每一阶段和各种成分。试验之前，会在电脑上模拟潜在的催化剂和反应过程。

"We have a vigorous theory effort, and the theory and the experiment go hand in hand," says project leader, Prof Harry Atwater of Caltech. "We now have what's actually the world's largest database, full stop."

“我们在理论上下了很大的功夫，理论与实验紧密相连”，项目主管，加州理工大学教授哈里阿特沃特说，“我们现在拥有世界上最大的数据库，就这样。”

The bad news is that we're not likely to see fields full of photosynthesis panels any time soon. According to Prof Dempsey, There are still major stumbling blocks.

坏消息是我们不太可能在短期内看到大量光合作用面板的全面应用。邓普西教授表示，还有许多难题有待解决。