There are plenty of scientists out there trying to solve our impending energy crisis. Many of their creations never leave the lab. Here's one that is on its way to commercialization — and just fixed one of its biggest problems.
Veteran biochemist Daniel Nocera has been working for decades on an "artificial leaf" — a silicon wafer that can create energy from sunlight and water the way real leaves do. Nocera unveiled an early version of the leaf in 2011. This week he announced a much-improved version.
Here's how the leaf works: you stick it in a quart of water, and it splits the hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is collected and stored in a fuel cell. A single leaf in a quart of water can provide 100 watts of energy, 24 hours a day.
SEE ALSO: Portable Light Project Brings Cheap Energy to Developing World
That's just enough energy for the estimated 3 billion people in the world who lack dependable access to an electric grid. The problem with the old version of Nocera's leaf, however, was that it required clean water — something else those billions lack dependable access to.
But Nocera's new leaf will work in dirty water, too. It's self-healing, meaning it prevents bacteria from forming a foothold on its surface.
Here's how Nocera explained it to a meeting of the American Chemical Society:
Surprisingly, some of the catalysts we’ve developed for use in the artificial leaf device actually heal themselves. They are a kind of living catalyst. This is an important innovation that eases one of the concerns about initial use of the leaf in developing countries and other remote areas.
Self-healing enables the artificial leaf to run on the impure, bacteria-contaminated water found in nature. We figured out a way to tweak the conditions so that part of the catalyst falls apart, denying bacteria the smooth surface needed to form a biofilm. Then the catalyst can heal and re-assemble.
It's kind of like providing fast-food energy. We’re interested in making lots of inexpensive units that may not be the most efficient, but that get the job done. It’s kind of like going from huge mainframe computers to a personal laptop. This is personalized energy.
Next up: commercialization via the company founded off the back of Nocera's work, Sun Catalytix. Check out the video above for more details.
Is this the solution the developing world has been waiting for? Give us your take in the comments.
Image via iStockphoto, kabby
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