Titanium 'leaves' could unlock hydrogen power
The Artificial Inorganic Leaf (AIL) may unlock the secrets to producing cheap, clean hydrogen by mimicking the photosynthetic structure of the leaf.
Fri, Mar 26 2010 at 9:04 PM EST
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Photo: Via Moi/Flickr If you want to impress your friends with a little-known but totally epic acronym it is "AIL" the Artificial Inorganic Leaf. This week, thousands of scientists descended upon San Francisco for the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, and one of the papers they heard was on AIL technology presented by a research team from the Shanghai Jiaotong University in China.
Using sunlight to split water into its components — hydrogen and oxygen — is one of the most promising methods for creating a sustainable, safe and cheap alternative to fossil fuels. And there is no machine more efficient at using sunlight than the humble leaf. Through photosynthesis, leaves use the power of sunlight to assemble sugars using only carbon dioxide, oxygen and water.
The Shanghai team has been working with leaf structures to better understand the process in order to replicate a man-made version of the leaf that could be adapted to do the inverse — splitting water to make hydrogen fuel — using a typical photocatalyst like titanium dioxide (one of the most abundant minerals on Earth).
By "biotemplating" the titanium dioxide to mimic the light harvesting structures of the leaf (and adding platinum nanoparticles to magnify the effect) the research team was able to get 80x the efficiency of current technologies for producing hydrogen gas. As the lead researcher said:
Our results may represent an important first step towards the design of novel artificial solar energy transduction systems based on natural paradigms, particularly based on exploring and mimicking the structural design. Nature still has much to teach us, and human ingenuity can modify the principles of natural systems for enhanced utility.
In the end, an intriguing partnership between cutting-edge science and the most ancient of organic technologies — photosynthesis — may prove to have the real answer for powering a clean future.
via: Science Daily
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Comments
Billibob
03/30/2010 19:30 PM
Uncle B is right... 35% of Rural China has evacuated tube solar water heaters that heat 80 US Gallons of water to 180F.. They have an efficiency of 92-93% have a 1.5 square meter collection area (equivalent to 1.5 kilowatts of free energy) cost around $3800 (US) and are totally maintenance free for at least 25 years... I know, because I sell and install them..
Anon
03/29/2010 14:06 PM
Great. Now I'd appreciate it if someone could make me a money tree. Thanks.
Monomorphic
03/29/2010 12:04 PM
Is anyone else concerned that an economy based on artificial trees would eventually require a huge surface area... and begin to displace natural foliage. What ever happened to good ol fashioned fusion...?
Alex
03/28/2010 22:45 PM
So how do we store the hydrogen efficiently?
Alec
03/28/2010 16:48 PM
I'd love to see that accompanying image, but it looks like a blurry 3x5 card on my machine. Can we get it bigger and clearer please?
tkwelge
03/28/2010 15:16 PM
I don't see why people act like anyone would be against cheap hydrogen power. Nobody really is, and only the government could screw up its implementation. I say a new, cheap energy source is a great thing. Bring it on. But we have to get there first.
Ron Sheesley
03/28/2010 15:08 PM
So much for all the nay sayers pontificating that it would be a long way down the road before a really inexpensive source (& delivery system) for hydrogen (& hydrogen powered vehicles) could be found. The trick is to find a way past the barriers set up by Big Oil, Big Coal and Big Auto.
Tru
03/28/2010 14:12 PM
MIT beat you to it
His Facts are Wrong
03/28/2010 13:41 PM
Photosynthesis is roughly .0004% effecient. Solar Cells are roughly 5% eff. To say that leaves are the most eff. just shows your lack of understanding on the subject and discredits your entire paper.
Read up
03/28/2010 13:53 PM
Whether this new leaf could work or not, please don't spew misinformation doubly by making this .0004% claim. http://books.google.com/books?id=6F7yuf1Sj30C&dq=hall+rao+photosynthesis With the ability to constantly move a synthetic leaf of this nature to constantly get the optimal angle of sunlight possible, it would be starting off with at least 11% efficiency (the max theoretical efficiency of photosynthesis under ideal conditions). Google. Use.... More
Lester Sheets
03/28/2010 12:55 PM
Enter your comments here WE don't just need cheap clean ENERGY. The world MUST HAVE it. We don't just need WATER. Our SURVIVAL depends on it. This process provides BOTH. How much Sweeter does it get. ???
Jim Jonas
03/27/2010 11:51 AM
Science and structures"Titanium" are the greatest exploration of our time. Although we have know about this"hydrogen" since the 1700's it is great we now must explore to prove our sincere desire for this is its time to clean up our earth and truly move away from Gasoline and Coal and all unsafe and dirty climate destruction. Lot of people think I have be wrong about this product I guess I am willing to take a bow along with others who believe this is the way to go.Hydrogen Bio-Fuel.... More
