Using RIKEN’s XFEL free electron laser facilities at SACLA, the group around Jian-Ren SHEN succeeded to determine the structure of photosystem II from Thermosynechococcus vulcanus at 1.95 A resolution, elucidating the precise mechanism of the water-splitting mechanism in photosynthesis. This finding is believed to be a milestone in developing artificial systems for the conversion of solar into chemical energy.
RIKEN news release, Nov. 26, 2014
Okayama University – RIKEN group elucidates precise 3D atomic structure of PSII