Feb 10 2011
Researchers at Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a system for transforming visible light into hydrogen fuel utilizing spinach. Researchers have long been pondering on how plants convert sunlight into energy instantly.
The Oak Ridge researchers have been trying to emulate the photosynthetic capacities of spinach and few years ago they had developed methods of converting spinach membranes into tiny electrical switches. They found ways of treating certain forms of blindness using spinach working along with researchers from the University of Southern California. At present, they were trying to identify methods of employing spinach protein to create solar cells in a cost-effective way when compared to silicon.
The researchers were able to establish that a specific light harvesting protein obtained from spinach could be made into a membrane by placing them in a liquid solution with synthetic polymers. LHC-II (Light Harvesting Complex), which is the protein that interacts with the polymer and forms a membrane, which then produces hydrogen i.e. the membrane functions like a PV cell, which instead of generating electricity would generate hydrogen.
To develop a working model the researchers now have to reduce the cost of the catalyst. Normally Platinum is used, which is highly expensive but now less expensive alternatives are in the offing and the researchers could use them for the model and even though it may take a few years this current development definitely brings us closer to the likelihood of having a hydrogen fuel converter for every home.
Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory