An artificial leaf that absorbs carbon dioxide

An artificial leaf that could one day produce a 'clean' fuel alternative to petrol has been developed by scientists. The leaf, created by researchers at Cambridge University, creates synthetic（人工合成的） gas by gathering energy using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water.

artificial /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 人工的、人造的
alternative /ɒlˈtɜːnətɪv/ n. 可替代品、可供选择的事物
petrol /ˈpetr(ə)l/ n. 汽油
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的后缀-er）
gas /ɡæs/ n. 气体
gather /ˈɡæðə(r)/ v. 收集
carbon /ˈkɑːb(ə)n/ dioxide /daɪˈɒksaɪd/ 二氧化碳

Currently, synthetic gas is produced from fossil fuels and is used to create a range of products, such as fuels, pharmaceuticals, plastics and fertilisers（化肥）.

currently /ˈkʌr(ə)ntli/ adv. 现在、目前（由current加后缀-ly变成副词）
fossil /ˈfɒs(ə)l/ n. 化石
pharmaceutical /ˌfɑːməˈsuːtɪk(ə)l/ n. 药品

"You may not have heard of synthetic gas itself, but every day you consume products that were created using it," explained Professor Erwin Reisner, of Cambridge's Department of Chemistry and a senior author of the research. "Being able to produce it sustainably would be a critical step in closing the global carbon cycle and establishing a sustainable chemical and fuel industry."

consume /kənˈsjuːm/ v. 使用、消耗
senior /ˈsiːniə(r)/ adj. 资深的、高级别的
sustainably /səˈsteɪnəbli/ adv. 可持续地
critical /ˈkrɪtɪk(ə)l/ adj. 关键性的
step /step/ n. 步骤
global /ˈɡləʊb(ə)l/ adj. 全球的
carbon /ˈkɑːb(ə)n/ n. 碳
cycle /ˈsaɪk(ə)l/ n. 循环
establish /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/ v. 建立
sustainable /səˈsteɪnəb(ə)l/ adj. 可持续的（由sustain加后缀-able变成形容词）
chemical /ˈkemɪk(ə)l/ adj. 化学的

Scientists say they have managed to make the artificial leaf sustainable unlike others in the past because of the combination of materials and catalysts（催化剂） they used.

manage /ˈmænɪdʒ/ v. 成功做到
unlike /ʌnˈlaɪk/ prep. 不像、跟…不同（由like加上表示否定的前缀un-）
combination /ˌkɒmbɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 组合（由combine加后缀-ation变成名词）
material /məˈtɪəriəl/ n. 原材料

The overall process is achieved using two light absorbers, similar to the molecules in plants that harvest sunlight, which are combined with a catalyst made from cobalt（钴）. When in water, one light absorber uses the catalyst to produce oxygen, while the other carries out the chemical reaction that reduces carbon dioxide and water into carbon monoxide and hydrogen, forming the synthetic gas mixture.

overall /ˌəʊvəˈrɔːl/ adj. 总体的、整体的
process /ˈprəʊses/ n. 过程、工艺
absorber /əbˈzɔːbə(r)/ n. 吸收…的东西（由absorb加上表示人或物的后缀-er）
molecule /ˈmɒlɪkjuːl/ n. 分子
harvest /ˈhɑːvɪst/ v. 收获、采集
combine /kəmˈbaɪn/ v. 组合、合并
oxygen /ˈɒksɪdʒən/ n. 氧气
carry out 做、执行
reaction /rɪˈækʃ(ə)n/ n. 反应、化学反应
reduce /rɪˈdjuːs/ v. 还原、使还原（指发生还原反应）
carbon monoxide /məˈnɒksaɪd/ 一氧化碳
hydrogen /ˈhaɪdrədʒən/ n. 氢气
mixture /ˈmɪkstʃə(r)/ n. 混合物

The artificial leaf is able to work just as well on cloudy and overcast（阴天的） days. "This means you are not limited to using this technology just in warm countries, or only operating the process during the summer months," said Virgil Andrei, a PhD student and first author of the paper, published in the Nature Materials journal. "You could use it from dawn until dusk, anywhere in the world."

limit /ˈlɪmɪt/ v. 限制
operate /ˈɒp(ə)reɪt/ v. 运作、运营
PhD student 博士研究生
paper /ˈpeɪpə(r)/ n. 论文
publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 发表
journal /ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l/ n. 期刊
dawn /dɔːn/ n. 黎明
dusk /dʌsk/ n. 黄昏

He added: "We are aiming at sustainably creating products such as ethanol（乙醇）, which can readily be used as a fuel. It's challenging to produce it in one step from sunlight using the carbon dioxide reduction reaction. But we are confident that we are going in the right direction, and that we have the right catalysts, so we believe we will be able to produce a device that can demonstrate this process in the near future."

readily /ˈred(ə)li/ adv. 轻易地
reduction /rɪˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/ reaction 还原反应
confident /ˈkɒnfɪd(ə)nt/ adj. 有信心的
device /dɪˈvaɪs/ n. 设备
demonstrate /ˈdemənstreɪt/ v. 展示、展现

Professor Reisner continued: "What we'd like to do next, instead of first making synthetic gas and then converting it into liquid fuel, is to make the liquid fuel in one step from carbon dioxide and water. There is a major demand for liquid fuels to power heavy transport, shipping and aviation（航空） sustainably."

convert /kənˈvɜːt/ v. 转换
major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 主要的、重大的
power /paʊə(r)/ v. 提供动力
transport /ˈtrænspɔːt/ n. 交通、运输
shipping /ˈʃɪpɪŋ/ n. 船运、运货

英文原文节选自The Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/10/21/artificial-leaf-capable-producing-clean-gas/