Scientists in the US have created solar energy harvesting cells by hacking tobacco leaves.
The synthetic photovoltaic cells are claimed by researchers at UC Berkeley to be cheap and biodegradable, but could they provide enough energy to be a viable alternative to fossil fuels?
The cells were created by injecting tobacco plants with an engineered virus, which forced the plants to make artificial chromophores. These are structures that turn light into high-powered electrons.
However, key to the efficiency of these structures is their formation. The chromophores form rods, which can be hundreds of nanometers long but also equally spaced from each other. If they are closer or further apart, they will no longer conduct electricity, or become harder to harvest.
The scientists in California will have to slice up the plants to harvest these conductive rods. These will then be dissolved in a liquid solution, which can then be sprayed over a glass or plastic substrate. Once this substrate has been coated to hold them in place, the chromophore structures should be able to start garnering the unstoppable energy of our beloved sun.
The team has so far successfully harvested the photovoltaic cells from both tobacco plants and E. coli bacteria. However, they have yet to produce chemical or electrical energy. But it's a start.