MIT develops low-cost artificial leaf

[jimmy olsen]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-features/55016-mit-develops-low-cost-artificial-leaf

MIT develops low-cost artificial leaf
Posted on Mar 28th 2011 by Emma Woollacott

MIT scientists have created what they say is the world's first practical 'artificial leaf', a solar cell the size of a playing card that mimics photosynthesis.

"A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades. We believe we have done it," says team leader Daniel Nocera.

"The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries. Our goal is to make each home its own power station."

Placed in a single gallon of water in bright sunlight, the device could produce enough electricity to supply a house in a developing country with electricity for a day, Nocera said.

It wrks by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, which are stored in a fuel celland used to produce electricity.

Artificial leaves have been around for a while - indeed, the first was created more than ten years ago. But existing versions tend to be expensive and have a short lifespan.

Nocera's new leaf is made of inexpensive materials that are widely available, works under simple conditions and is highly stable, he says. In laboratory studies, a prototype operated continuously for more than 45 hours without a drop in performance.

It's based on several newly-discovered catalysts, made of nickel and cobalt, that can efficiently split water into hydrogen and oxygen, under normal conditions. Right now, Nocera says his leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural leaf - but says he's optimistic that he can boost efficiency much further.

"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," he says.

[Grinning_Colossus]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

Not necessarily. The water doesn't have to be potable.

http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/dgn/www/research/solar.shtml

As has been widely discussed, the production of oxygen from water has been the primary barrier to efficient water splitting. The Nocera group has overcome this challenge with the discovery of cobalt and nickel catalysts that duplicate the solar fuels process of photosynthesis outside of the leaf - an artificial photosynthesis. Like the oxygen evolving catalyst (OEC) of photosynthesis, the new catalysts in the Nocera labs self assemble from water to form a partial cubane structure, they are self-healing and they split water to hydrogen and oxygen using light from neutral water, at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The catalyst operates at 100 mA/cm2 at 76% efficiency. Moreover it can operate out of any water source including the Charles River in front of MIT. Finally, the ability to split neutral water has led to the discovery on an inexpensive H2 producing catalyst that operates at 1000 mA/cm2 at 35 mV overpotential

[jamesww]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

Fascinating, it's not as if these things grow on trees. 

[jimmy olsen]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

Fascinating, it's not as if these things grow on trees.

Those trees don't provide electric power, so what's your point?

[Brazen]

This doesn't sound cheaper or more practical than algae generators.

[Josephus]

Can you roll it up and smoke it?

[jamesww]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

Fascinating, it's not as if these things grow on trees.

Those trees don't provide electric power, so what's your point?

Tim, do try and occasioally think a bit more outside of the box; what happens when you chop a tree down, what is one of the uses you could put the wood to ? 

[KRonn]

Very interesting. This or future technologies would likely have uses in our homes and businesses; would revolutionize the energy grid so we're not so dependent on power stations or imported fuels.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

Fascinating, it's not as if these things grow on trees.

Those trees don't provide electric power, so what's your point?

Tim, do try and occasioally think a bit more outside of the box; what happens when you chop a tree down, what is one of the uses you could put the wood to ? 

you could make a box with it.

[grumbler]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

Fascinating, it's not as if these things grow on trees.

Those trees don't provide electric power, so what's your point?

Tim, do try and occasioally think a bit more outside of the box; what happens when you chop a tree down, what is one of the uses you could put the wood to ? 

Irony:  not just the opposite of wrinkly.

[garbon]

I wouldn't push Mongers to think outside the box but rather focus on getting him to think first.

[The Brain]

You "do" the Holy Grail these days?

[DGuller]

You "do" the Holy Grail these days?

Nothing is sacred to scientists. 

[jimmy olsen]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

Fascinating, it's not as if these things grow on trees.

Those trees don't provide electric power, so what's your point?

Tim, do try and occasioally think a bit more outside of the box; what happens when you chop a tree down, what is one of the uses you could put the wood to ? 

It'll warm the house and cook some food, that's it. Most 3rd world countries are not in temperate, let alone arctic climates though so the first is useless. Electricity is a hundred times more useful.

[jamesww]

This will be limited to nations with plentiful water, but it sounds real useful.

Fascinating, it's not as if these things grow on trees.

Those trees don't provide electric power, so what's your point?

Tim, do try and occasioally think a bit more outside of the box; what happens when you chop a tree down, what is one of the uses you could put the wood to ? 

It'll warm the house and cook some food, that's it. Most 3rd world countries are not in temperate, let alone arctic climates though so the first is useless. Electricity is a hundred times more useful.

You do know you can turn wood into electricity ?

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/849537

http://www.power-technology.com/projects/stevenscroftbiomass/