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Secrets of the First Practical Artificial Leaf (limitless energy!)
Science Daily ^ | 5/9/12

Posted on 05/10/2012 9:02:02 AM PDT by LibWhacker

click here to read article


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To: jonatron

Okay, now you’ve got me worried. Isn’t water broken down into oxygen and hydrogen (not free hydrogen) during photosynthesis? This isn’t my area, so I’ll shut up now.


21 posted on 05/10/2012 10:45:35 AM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: USFRIENDINVICTORIA

Well put, couldn’t agree more.


22 posted on 05/10/2012 10:47:57 AM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: LibWhacker

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/photosyn.htm


23 posted on 05/10/2012 11:02:36 AM PDT by SouthernBoyupNorth ("For my wings are made of Tungsten, my flesh of glass and steel..........")
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To: Pontiac

Kind of makes you wonder how well they’d work on say... the Moon for a permanent habitat. Breaking down water in the lunar regolith and using it for power and oxygen would seem to be pretty darn handy.


24 posted on 05/10/2012 11:17:05 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (Steampunk- Yesterday's Tomorrow, Today)
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To: Dead Corpse
That would work better because outside of the atmosphere you have about 1000 watts per square meter.

The only problem there is longevity. You are also subjecting the solar cell to unshielded cosmic rays which will damage the cell. Also on the moon you have the problem of a source of water. The say there is water at the poles but you have to transport the water to the equator where the sun is the strongest.

Another problem on the moon is that half the month the cell is in darkness.

25 posted on 05/10/2012 11:22:59 AM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: Pontiac

There is also asteroid mining, exploration, etc...

The problems you mention are easily over come.

Relax. You don’t want to you this tech? You think it’s worthless?

No problem. As long as we retain free markets, no one will force you to participate in any way.


26 posted on 05/10/2012 11:30:19 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (Steampunk- Yesterday's Tomorrow, Today)
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To: Dead Corpse
You think it’s worthless?

No I don’t think any technology is worthless, especially one that makes any process cheaper.

I do however believe that it is worthless for the purpose the Author espouses.

"Considering that it is the 6 billion nonlegacy users that are driving the enormous increase in energy demand by midcentury, a research target of delivering solar energy to the poor

The poor are much better served by more traditional sources of power that are far cheaper and easier to maintain.

27 posted on 05/10/2012 11:44:32 AM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: Smokin' Joe
You can't eat hydrogen. Photosynthesis occurs in leaves, so calling it an artificial leaf isn't accurate. Call it what it is: a hydrogen ( and oxygen) generator, or better yet a solar powered electrolysis device, but a leaf? No.

Actually ALL leaves produce hydrogen as the first chemical step in carboHYDRATE production. The hydrogen never escapes the chloroplast though it is used to reduce CO2 to sugars but make no mistake every photosynthetic organism on earth starts with using solar photons to break H2O in to H+ OH. There are a number or bacteria that can directly use H+ or H2 to synthesis a number or organic molecules on a industrial scale CH4 from Methogenic bacteria can be feed CO2 and H2 and Methane is the end product. Other Ecoli can take H2 or H+ and CO2 turn it into butanol or glucose or ethanol or acetic acid. Plants are only 1% efficient at converting sun light into biomass these cells should be like most single band gap cells about 10% eff. Forget biofuels make food with these things for monogastric animal feeds. A ten fold improvement in biomass rates would revolutionize the feed and food industries. Look up the electrofuels DOE program they have at least 8 organisms that can take free hydrogen and turn it into some kind of carbohydrate. That is well the essence of what a leaf is water + sun = carbohydrates. If they can get the costs per meter squared down enough to produce sugars at 15 cents per lb they will undercut any biological production of biomass on the planet. Given that they are starting out already 10 to 15 times more efficiency in solar photons to free hydrogen and Ecoli are upwards of 90% efficient at converting that into cellular mass they have a HUGE head start on nature.

28 posted on 05/10/2012 3:12:30 PM PDT by JD_UTDallas ("Veni Vidi Vici")
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To: Sherman Logan
energy comes from the sun

Not quite. Nuclear energy isn't directly related to input from the sun.

All energy comes from the debris of the ancient supernova that our solar system is composed of. Any element higher than Iron on the atomic mass scale was made in the core of a exploding supernova and we already know given the iron ratio of our sun that our whole solar system is the ash of a near by supernova.

29 posted on 05/10/2012 3:16:45 PM PDT by JD_UTDallas ("Veni Vidi Vici")
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To: donhunt

It’s the galvanizing; really!


30 posted on 05/10/2012 5:44:37 PM PDT by pingman (Durn tootin'; I like Glock shootin'!)
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To: JD_UTDallas

Fair enough. However, nuclear energy is not directly created by input from our sun.


31 posted on 05/10/2012 6:50:16 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: Sherman Logan
Right nuclear energy is literally the stored energy of gravitational collapse of the parent supernova it is in that final gravitational collapse that all elements with atomic mass greater than iron are created as the balance of gravity and nuclear fusion is lost and gravity wins. These engines of creation then spew these new elements to the cosmos. We are all quite literally star dust as the iron in our blood was created in our parent supernova as well.

Interesting point is that nuclear energy uses these heavy atoms created by a star and splits them into lighter atoms thus reversing what gravity has pushed together. So nuclear power is still very much solar power it is only the equivalent of fossil fuels of the stars.

The binding curve of matter is arguably humanities greatest scientific achievement pretty much all other quantum mechanics is derived from that single understanding. Once a species understands the binding curve it has the ability to power its expansion into the cosmos via Fission and Fusion plus antimatter or to blow itself up in the most grotesque fashion. It is a test that all intelligent species must face at some point.

32 posted on 05/10/2012 10:10:48 PM PDT by JD_UTDallas ("Veni Vidi Vici")
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To: JD_UTDallas

And of course Fermi postulated that the reason we have no evidence that ET life exists is that other species have failed this test.


33 posted on 05/11/2012 2:09:49 AM PDT by Sherman Logan
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