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DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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Caption

A microscopy image (top figure) of the nanotubes, generated in a sheet and a schematic (bottom image) of the layers that each tiny tube is composed of. Embedded in the silica layer are "molecular wires" made of short hydrocarbon chains that attach to the cobalt oxide on the inside and connect to the silica-titanium dioxide boundary on the opposite side. These wires conduct charges, which are generated by light absorbing molecules at that boundary, across the membrane to the cobalt oxide, enabling water oxidation.

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Berkley Lab

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