A University research team has created synthetic copies of the light-harvesting molecules found in plants - a development that could change the face of solar power.

"We've created one of the key systems plants use in photosynthesis. A leaf is a cheap and efficient solar cell. The best leaves can harvest up to 40 per cent of the light falling on them," said Deanna D'Alessandro, a post-doctoral fellow in the molecular electronics group, led by Professor Max Crossley in the School of Chemistry.

Dr D'Alessandro, a laboratory researcher and team member on the project,has just been announced as the winner of Fresh Science 2006, a national competition promoting the work of early-career scientists.Her prize involves a study tour of the UK sponsored by the British Council Australia and the opportunity to present her work at the Royal Institution in London.

Green plants use a process of photosynthesis to convert light energy into usable chemical energy. "Wheel-shaped arrays of molecules - porphyrins - collect light and transfer it to the hub. There, chemical reactions use the light energy to convert carbon dioxide into energy-rich sugar and oxygen," explained Dr D'Alessandro.

This process, which occurs in about 40 trillionths of a second, is fundamental to photosynthesis and is the base of the food chain for almost all life on Earth, she said.

The Sydney researchers have constructed synthetic porphyrins made from carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen atoms. More than 100 porphyrins can be assembled around a tree-like core - a dendrimer - to mimic the wheel-shaped arrangement in natural photosynthetic systems.

Because there are a large number of porphyrins in each molecule, a significant amount of light can be captured and converted to electrical energy. "Since they are so efficient at storing energy, we think they could also be used as batteries - replacing the metal-based batteries that our high technology devices depend on today," said Dr D'Alessandro.

The research will also offer a considerable improvement on current artificial solar cells. Silica-based solar panels, such as those on roofs, are expensive to manufacture and are only around 15 per cent efficient - that is, only 15 per cent of the light that falls on them is converted to energy.

The Sydney team - Professor Crossley, Dr D'Alessandro, Tony Khoury, Adam Hambly, Dr Joe Sly and Mark Absalom - is in the early stages of building practical solar energy devices using the synthetic molecules. Over the next five years, they will work with collaborators at Osaka University in Japan to use the technology on commercial-scale solar panels.

Fresh Science, a national program hosted by the Melbourne Museum, is sponsored by the Federal and Victorian governments, the British Council and New Scientist magazine.