science would have discovered the Holy Grail of photovoltaics, a solar cell identical in all respects to a leaf, which, just like a leaf, seems to be able to imitate the process of chlorophyll photosynthesis
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
So he titled the Daily Mail about the invention developed by a group of researchers of the MIT (Mit) led by prof. Daniel Nocera. According to what was reported by the historic British newspaper, science would have discovered the Holy Grail of the photovoltaic, a solar cell equal in all respects to one leaf, which, just like a leaf, seems to be able to mimic the process of chlorophyll photosynthesis. With one small difference: the production of energia, as reported, it would be to 10 times higher compared to natural photosynthesis.
The mechanism is roughly what we all learned in elementary school, but in an artificial version: substances present in the leaf (in this case nickel e cobalt) catalyze the action of Sun, whose energy is used to separate the molecules of hydrogen e oxygen which make up the water (H2O) in which the leaf itself is immersed. Later, the two elements end up in a separate one a burning room, where they are exploited to create electric energy. With less than 4 liters of water, according to scholars, the leaf would be able to meet the energy needs of atypical dwelling of a developing country. At least as far as the heating.
And to think that no more than ten years ago a similar invention had been tested by John Turner, researcher ofU.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory di Boulder (Colorado) but the production cost had proved too high and the energy produced ... little. The so-called Holy Grail developed by MIT, on the contrary, could change the lives of billions of people: Africans, Asian and in part South Americans who still do not have access to electricity, not even to recharge a mobile phone. It is no coincidence that the Indian auto giant Tata has already signed a construction agreement - within the next few 18 months - of a mini-power plant the size of a refrigerator cell. But will poor inhabitants, often without access to water, really benefit from this new and incredible invention?
Roberto Zambon
