Plants are often thought of as sources of food, oxygen, and decoration, but not as a source of electricity. However, scientists have discovered that by harnessing the natural transport of electrons within plant cells, it is possible to generate electricity as part of a green, biological solar cell.
, researchers for the first time used a succulent plant to create a living “bio-solar cell” that runs onThe electrons are naturally transported as part of biological processes in all living cells, from bacteria and fungi to plants and animals. By introducing electrodes, the cells can be utilized to generate electricity that can be used externally. Previous research had created fuel cells using bacteria but it required constant feeding.
During this process, light drives a flow of electrons from water that ultimately results in the generation of oxygen and sugar. This means that living photosynthetic cells are constantly producing a flow of electrons that can be pulled away as a “photocurrent” and used to power an external circuit, just like a solar cell.
The ice plant succulent shown here can become a living solar cell and power a circuit using photosynthesis. Credit: Adapted fromCertain plants — like the succulents found in arid environments — have thick cuticles to keep water and nutrients within their leaves.
Previous studies on similar organic devices suggest that connecting multiple leaves in series could increase the voltage. The team specifically designed the living solar cell so that protons within the internal leaf solution could be combined to form hydrogen gas at the cathode, and this hydrogen could be collected and used in other applications. The researchers say that their method could enable the development of future sustainable, multifunctional green energy technologies.
Reference: “Self-Enclosed Bio-Photoelectrochemical Cell in Succulent Plants” by Yaniv Shlosberg, Gadi Schuster and Noam Adir, 23 November 2022,
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