A team at MIT has developed an artificial leaf from a set of inexpensive catalysts including nickel and cobalt, which is claimed to be 10 times as efficient as a real leaf at the photosynthesis process. Researchers expect the artificial leaf to revolutionise power storage in developing countries like India.
Claiming one of the milestones in the drive for sustainable energy, a team of scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has created the world's first practical artificial leaf that can use sunlight to break water into hydrogen and oxygen which can then be used to create electricity in a separate fuel cell. "A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades. We believe we have done it. And placed in a gallon of water and left in sun, these artificial leaves could provide a home in the developing world with basic electricity for a day," MIT’s Daniel Nocera, who led the research team, said.
The very first artificial leaf was created by John Turner of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, over a decade ago, but it lasted for only one day and was made of expensive metals too, making it impractical.
"Our goal is to make each home its own power station. One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology," Daniel added.
For their research, the scientists identified a set of inexpensive, common catalysts including nickel and cobalt that get the job done with far less expense. And, in the laboratory their playing-card-sized leaves have worked continuously for 45 straight hours without a drop in output. However, scientists are still trying to boost both efficiency and lifespan of their photosynthetic material.
“Nature is powered by photosynthesis, and I think that the future world will be powered by photosynthesis as well in the form of this artificial leaf,” added Nocera.
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