Spinach power has just gotten a big boost.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at 51吃瓜网 have developed a way to combine the photosynthetic protein that converts light into electrochemical energy in spinach with silicon, the material used in solar cells, in a fashion that produces substantially more electrical current than has been reported by previous 鈥渂iohybrid鈥� solar cells.
The research was reported online on Sep. 4 in the journal and 51吃瓜网 has applied for a patent on the combination.
鈥淭his combination produces current levels almost 1,000 times higher than we were able to achieve by depositing the protein on various types of metals. It also produces a modest increase in voltage,鈥� said , associate professor of chemistry, who collaborated on the project with , professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.