RCA Student Invents Artificial Leaf that Can Produce Oxygen
Melchiorri explains in a video made for Dezeen and MINI Frontiers:
The material is extracted directly from the fibers of silk. This material has an amazing property of stabilizing molecules. I extracted chloroplasts from plant cells and placed them inside this silk protein. As an outcome I have the first photosynthetic material that is living and breathing as a leaf does.
My questions here are simply… Based upon a quick online search, the ability to mimic the fundamental processes in photosynthesis have been known for about 30 years, with the term ‘Artificial Leaf’ tossed around for the last dozen or so. Then why are there no ‘Artificial Leaf’ production facilities currently in operation? How is it possible that a universally proven process like splitting water with sunlight hasn’t yet made it into the public marketplace? I mean, come on! How much proof of concept is needed, with billions of years of evolutionary success behind it, before human technology will be allowed to make this next great green leap?
What could be underlying reason an abundant, clean and accessible energy source is still being held back?!
