Harvard chemist Daniel Nocera recently developed the world’s first practical artificial leaf – a silicon-based device that could use sunlight to split water and create clean fuel. Now, the scientist says he’s improved the leaf – making it able to self-heal and to work even in dirty water.
The artificial leaf has been called a holy grail for decades, and scientists had been working on designing an efficient device that, like plants, can use sunlight to create energy. But where plants make sugars, scientists wanted to split water into clean-burning fuel. Such a device could radically revolutionize clean energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and providing an even better solution than plain old solar cells, which are perfect for sunny days but don’t store energy for nighttime use.
