Chinese scientists, together with colleagues from other countries, have developed a new type of “artificial leaf” – a photoactive film of liquid metal. It uses solar energy to produce hydrogen through the direct decomposition of water, paving the way for large-scale production of eco-friendly devices, Xinhua said.

A research team led by Professor Liu Gang from the Institute of Metals Research, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently published the study in Nature Communications, an international scientific journal.

The film, similar to a natural leaf, converts solar energy directly into chemical fuel, which is very promising in terms of direct conversion of solar energy into hydrogen. According to the research team, this development is particularly promising in the context of carbon neutrality initiatives.

To make these reliable photoactive films, Chinese scientists developed a new particle implantation technique that incorporates semiconductor photoabsorbers into liquid metal. This method is based on photosystems II and I, which stimulate photosynthesis in leaves and which are included in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts.

Under conditions of visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of water decomposition with the formation of hydrogen is 2.9 times higher than that of traditional films. In addition, the new “artificial leaf” can work continuously for more than a hundred hours without stopping.

“An additional advantage of these films is that a wide range of fusible metals and semiconductors can be used, and all materials used can be easily recycled by sonication in warm water. Overall, this new technique promises a low-cost, large-scale processing route for solar energy conversion devices and applications,” added Professor Liu Gang.

(Source: Agerpres / Photo: Dreamstime.com)