The research team imitates nature to make 'artificial leaves' to produce clean fuel

In a paper published last week in the journal Nature, the team from the University of Cambridge said they had created a prototype of a device capable of converting energy from the sun and water.

An "artificial leaf" floats on the River Cam near King's College Chapel in Cambridge, UK

"Our artificial leaves behave similarly to plant leaves," Dr Virgil Andrei, a researcher at the University of Cambridge and one of the study's co-authors, said in an email. "However, instead of sugar, we are producing useful chemicals."

The leaves that Andrei and his colleagues created are not solar panels. To explain better, this technology uses the light of the Sun to create a type of chemical reaction, which in this case is the raw materials needed for liquid fuels.

The leaves replicate the photosynthesis of plants by using two different fuel cells made from lead perovskite (a type of solar cell) to produce syngas.

Syngas is a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide molecules, which are important components of many industrial production processes. Syngas can also be used as a fuel, hopefully in the future to replace the fuels used in the aviation and car industries.

However, syngas is often produced using fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, which still has a significant impact on the environment. This artificial leaf is hoped to be able to replace syngas, eliminating the problem related to the environment.

The team at Cambridge developed an earlier version of the leaf in 2019, which can make components of syngas from sunlight. But that technology is too expensive and heavy, greatly limited in practical application and can only be placed in a few specific locations.

"Most artificial leaves are quite complex and can only be produced on a small laboratory scale," explains Dr. Andrei.

"Here, we wanted to redesign the structure of the leaf so that they could be used more widely, suitable for practical applications. For this purpose, we reduced the weight of the device by by placing light absorbers on thinner and more flexible substrates. As a result, our devices become so light that they can float on water, similar to a lotus leaf," he added.

Scientists have practically tested the artificial leaf and say it could be used to fuel ships or people living on small islands.

Mr. Andrei said that the new versions are still prototypes and need to go through more testing steps to make sure they will work well in the real world. But the design of this new leaf promises to open up a bright future for the tech world.

"These leaves can be assembled into large patches, placed on lakes, rivers and shorelines. They are flexible, lightweight, can be easily transported to remote areas such as islands, allowing production fuel production in many places instead of concentrating in a fixed area. 

Leaves can make additional use of polluted waters such as mining lakes or near harbors. Furthermore, they can prevent moisture evaporation from irrigation channels, something that is worth considering during current heatwaves and prolonged droughts," the researcher said of the application possibilities. .