Scientists create Bionic leaf that turns sunlight into liquid fuel

A team of scientists from Harvard University (United States) has created a unique bionic leaf that uses sunlight (solar energy) to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce liquid fuels from CO2.
This artificial photosynthesis device has been dubbed bionic leaf 2.0. The new system can convert solar energy to biomass with 10% efficiency.  Its efficiency is much higher than the 1% seen in the fastest growing plants.
Scientists had used a new cobalt-phosphorous alloy catalyst for this experiment in order to increase efficiency. The catalyst chemical design allows the system to self-heal i.e. doesn’t allow material to leech into solution.
Significance: This artificial photosynthesis system can be used to generate usable fuels. This artificial leaf use solar power to split water and make hydrogen fuel.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2016