Despite their importance as food, oxygen, and ornament, no one uses plants as a source of energy. We have discovered fresh research that demonstrates that it appears possible to generate electricity using a green biological solar cell.
The researchers are the first to do so, according to the most recent research that was published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. Previously, living “bio solar cells” powered by photosynthesis were produced by succulents. As a result, electrons are transported naturally in all living cells, from bacteria and fungi to plants and animals, as part of biological processes. However, cells can function as a source of power when electrodes are used.
Electricity
In the past, a number of researchers used bacteria to make fuel cells, but these cells needed a constant supply. However, in order to generate electricity, this new study makes use of photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy.
This process demonstrates that light causes electrons to flow from water into sugar and oxygen. This suggests that living photosynthetic cells are continuously producing an electron flow. This is referred to as “photocurrent” and can be utilized to power solar cells and other external circuits.
Succulents
Additionally, arid environments rarely support plants like succulents. Cuticles on the leaves are thick and hold nutrients and water.
Succulent plant photosynthesis, according to Yaniv Shlosberg, Gadi Schuster, and Adir, can use internal water and nutrients as electrolyte solutions in electrochemical cells to generate energy for living solar cells. For the first time, I wanted to find out if the succulent plant known as “ice plant,” Corpuscularia lehmaannii, has been used by researchers to create a living solar cell.
After inserting an iron anode and a platinum cathode into one of the plant’s leaves, we discovered that their voltage was 0.28 V. Additionally, when connected to an electrical circuit, it generates photocurrent densities of up to 20 A/cm2 when exposed to light, providing electricity for more than a day.
Even though this is only one sheet, the values are still lower than those of conventional alkaline batteries. Numerous studies have previously suggested that when multiple sheets are connected in series, similar organic devices may experience voltage increases.
By allowing protons in the inner leaf solution to combine to form hydrogen gas at the cathode, the researchers were able to create a living solar cell here. Additionally, there are additional applications for this hydrogen. The researchers claim that the development of long-lasting, multifunctional green energy technologies will be made possible by their method in the future.
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