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US RESEARCHERS UNVEIL WORKING ARTIFICIAL LEAF

Efficient System Creates Hydrogen Fuel Using Only Light & Water, In Complete Safety

Researchers at Caltech, US, have claimed they have built a working prototype of an artificial leaf that is both safe and efficient. They believe the device, which uses sunlight to split water to make hydrogen fuel, could be developed into a commercially viable product within the next few years. The new system consists of three main components: a photoanode, a photocathode and a plastic membrane coated with titanium dioxide. The photoanode uses sunlight to generate protons and electrons. The photocathode recombines the protons and electrons to create hydrogen gas. This gas can be used as a fuel for hydrogen vehicles or used to generate electricity. This system was developed by the Caltech-led Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), and is the culmination of a five year project that has so far received USD$122 million in US federal funding.

A key component of the project’s design lies with the treated plastic membrane, which protects the photovoltaic materials from the corrosive effect of the chemical reactions and separates the oxygen and hydrogen gases. The researchers were inspired by plant photosynthesis in nature and are aiming to develop a system that is stable, safe and relatively inexpensive. Previous water splitting fuel-cells have demonstrated high efficiency, but stability has remained an issue. Nate Lewis, a professor of chemistry at Caltech, who led the project believes his team has been able to reconcile these two things. “Nothing is close, in terms of efficiency and stability and safety all combined at once, to what we’ve done here,” said Lewis. He concluded that once they had perfected the design they could then move onto figuring out how to make the device commercially viable.

US RESEARCHERS UNVEIL WORKING ARTIFICIAL LEAF

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  • Silsbee, TX 77656, United States
  • Efficient System