The first practical artificial leaf was unveiled this week at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. The leaf, which was developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, is an advanced solar cell the size of a poker card that mimics the process of photosynthesis. According to Daniel Nocera, Ph.D., who led the research team, “A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades. We believe we have done it. The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries. Our goal is to make each home its own power station. One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology.” Nocera’s leaf is made of inexpensive materials that are widely available, and uses two catalysts, nickel and cobalt, to efficiently split water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen. Splitting the water produces electricity, which can then be stored in a fuel cell. The device could produce enough electricity to supply a house in a developing country with electricity for a day, if placed in a single gallon of water in bright sunlight. “Nature is powered by photosynthesis, and I think that the future world will be powered by photosynthesis as well in the form of this artificial leaf,” said Nocera. The article can be viewed online at the link below.