Artificial leaves have the functions of living ones. Free Technical Library News

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Artificial leaves have the functions of living

25.03.2019

Researchers at the University of Illinois (USA, Chicago), after numerous attempts, have finally developed artificial scalable leaves that perform the same functions as living plants, namely: they convert carbon dioxide into water and carbon monoxide. They also produce oxygen. According to scientists, such sheets can be used for various purposes: to improve the quality of the surrounding air, to obtain cheap fuel.

Every plant on earth is a small natural "power plant" that transforms incoming sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into energy. For about ten years, scientists unsuccessfully tried to create a copy of a natural, functioning by analogy with the present, sheet. A team at the University of Illinois was the first to solve this problem and developed a new leaf model that worked equally well in the lab and in the field.

Artificial plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. They convert carbon dioxide into oxygen (O2) and gas (CO), which is the basis for synthetic fuels: gasoline, methyl alcohol. All previously created artificial leaves, unfortunately, were not able to accumulate CO2 from the surrounding air. However, the new leaf systems succeeded.

Scientists have designed an artificial photosynthesis system with a productivity that is 14 times higher than that of living plants. It consists of elements that receive the rays of the sun, on the surface of which catalysts are located. The surface breaks down water molecules and also accumulates carbon dioxide from the air. Previously, such a process was impossible, because the duplicate leaves did not have stomata - tiny holes through which they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

The scientists placed the artificial leaf in a permeable, dense shell made of ammonium resin. It was impregnated with a water-based electrolyte. To mimic the process of water evaporation that occurs in green plants, the researchers made ammonium resin take carbon dioxide from the air. Under the semiconductor film, carbon dioxide was converted into CO or carbon monoxide. This compound can be collected from the inside of the leaf and used for distillation into fuel.

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Artificial mother of pearl 08.08.2012

For the first time, scientists from the University of Cambridge have succeeded in replicating a natural process and synthesizing mother-of-pearl: the durable iridescent coating found on the inside of some mollusk shells and covering precious pearls.

By repeating biological processes, scientists for the first time were able to create artificial mother-of-pearl, which has a similar structure, mechanical and optical properties of natural material.

In order to create artificial mother-of-pearl, scientists used a three-step process. First, scientists prevented crystallization by precipitation from a solution of calcium carbonate, which is the main component of mother-of-pearl. This was achieved by using a mixture of ions and organic components in a solution that mimics the corresponding substance produced by the mollusk. As a result, it was possible to achieve uniform deposition of calcium carbonate on the surface. Further, the deposited layer of thickness was covered with a layer of organic matter with pores 10 nanometers in diameter. Finally, the crystallization process was carried out. Thus, with the help of alternating alternation of crystalline and organic layers, it was possible to create artificial mother-of-pearl.

As noted by one of the authors of the study, Alex Finnemore (Alex Finnemore), many modern composite materials are superior to mother-of-pearl in a combination of characteristics. However, mother-of-pearl coating can be used both for decorative purposes, for example in jewelry, and in industry - for the development of new processes for applying the most durable coatings. Moreover, the process of creating such coatings is very simple and can be easily automated.

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