On February 12, 2019 (January 8, 2019 in the lunar calendar), artificial leaves were introduced. Schematic diagram of artificial bionic leaves. As water evaporates from the bottom of the leaves, carbon dioxide enters the leaves. An artificial light system centered on a catalyst-coated light absorber can use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and water into oxygen. Artificial leaf simulated photosynthesis refers to the process of using bionic leaves to use moisture and carbon dioxide in the air to generate carbohydrates under the action of solar energy. However, even the most advanced artificial leaves can only work in laboratories-the carbon dioxide source used for artificial leaves is pressurized pure carbon dioxide in laboratory containers. On February 12, 2019, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering magazine published an article stating that researchers at the University of Illinois in the United States have proposed a new design that is expected to bring artificial leaves from the laboratory to the real environment. The improved artificial leaves are nearly 10 times more capable of converting carbon dioxide into fuel than natural leaves. Meenesh Singh, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Illinois and corresponding author, said: "Currently, most artificial leaves can only work in the laboratory. In order for artificial blades to have practical engineering significance, they must be able to work in low concentrations of carbon dioxide (air, smoke, etc.)." Want to separate pressurized carbon dioxide from artificial leaves? A way must be found to collect and concentrate carbon dioxide in the air to drive artificial photosynthesis. Singh and graduate student Aditya Prajapati proposed solutions to the problem. They encapsulated traditional artificial leaves in transparent capsules filled with water. The capsule is made of a semi-permeable membrane of quaternary ammonium salt resin. The film allows water to evaporate in sunlight. When water passes through the membrane, it selectively absorbs carbon dioxide from the air. The artificial photosynthesis device inside the capsule mainly contains a light absorber coated with a catalyst. Catalysts convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, which is then siphoned out as raw material for synthetic fuels. The oxygen produced at the same time can be collected or released directly into the environment. Singh said: "By wrapping traditional artificial leaves in this special membrane, the entire device can function outdoors like natural leaves. According to calculations by Singh et al., 360 artificial leaves (each 1.7 meters long and 0.2 meters wide) can produce about 0.5 tons of carbon monoxide per day and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air within 100 meters of their coverage area (about 500 square meters). Singh said: "Our design uses off-the-shelf materials and technologies. Only by getting artificial leaves to 'get out' of the laboratory can they truly play a role in reducing greenhouse gases."