Isra-Mart srl:Could spinach hold key to plant-mimicking solar cells?

www.isra-mart.com

Isra-Mart srl news:

Scientists have moved a step closer to producing solar cells that
photosynthesise light in a manner similar to plants – and it is humble spinach leaves that could be at the root of this major scientific breakthrough.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) revealed late last month that they have identified a chemical found in spinach which can help to turn sunlight into hydrogen.

The scientists bonded synthetic polymers with light harvesting complex II (LHC-II) proteins – a protein mix that harvests light for plants, using it as the basis for energy conversion. They harvested the LCH-II from spinach bought from the local grocer.

When combined with the synthetic polymers, the LCH-II created layered sheets similar to those found in naturally occurring photosynthetic material. Researchers said the structure raises the prospect of self-repairing solar cells capable of using techniques similar to photosynthesis to produce energy.

Typically, the protein is used only for harvesting light, but after analysing the activity of the material, the researchers found that it could also be used as the basis for electron transfer.

The scientists envisage a point at which the resulting material could be doped with a platinum catalyst to produce hydrogen, which could then be used an an energy source.

Hugh O'Neill of the laboratory's Centre for Structural Molecular Microbiology worked with the lab's William T. Heller and Kunlun Hong to make the discovery. Also on the team were Dimitry Smolensky of the University of Tennessee and Mateus Cardoso, a former postdoctoral researcher at ORNL now of the Laboratio Nacional de Luz Sincrotron in Brazil.

However, much more research is still needed before we end up with spinach-based solar cells – but the discovery of the protein's properties represents a promising start.