For the first time, researchers have captured real-time snapshots of one of nature’s most efficient energy-transfer processes: the coordinated movement of electrons, protons, and surrounding water molecules during a light-driven chemical reaction. The study, led by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and conducted at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Linac Coherent Light Source, was published on October 6.
The team used ultrafast X-ray absorption spectroscopy combined with precise theoretical modeling to observe proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) — a reaction type central to photosynthesis, catalysis, and biological energy conversion. By triggering the reaction with light and capturing X-ray snapshots at femtosecond timescales, scientists watched how changes in the electronic structure of the molecule were intimately linked to the reorganization of surrounding water networks.
“This is an important first step in combining X-ray scattering and spectroscopy to study these complicated processes,” said SLAC staff scientist David Hoffman. “With the better signal-to-noise offered by the LCLS-II upgrade, we can use these methods to solve real problems in catalysis and energy harvesting.”
The technique could help researchers design more efficient catalysts, fuel cells, and flow batteries by revealing exactly how energy moves through molecular systems — insights that were previously hidden behind the ultrafast timescales of these fundamental chemical reactions.
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