Modern solar cells use light energy to produce electrons and holes, which are then transmitted by semiconductor materials to external circuits for use by people, but few are concerned with the alternative form of electricity driven by light energy, which is obtained by decomposing water molecules to the opposite Charged Protons and Hydroxides Recently, U.S. researchers reported a new design in Joule magazine that has good application prospects in power generation and desalination.
Shane Ardo, a senior research author and assistant professor at the University of California at Irvine, said the researchers produced an 'ion-simulated electronic PN junction solar cell' that uses light energy to excite the semiconductor properties of water to produce ionic electricity, Mechanism to create a device that desalinates directly in the sun.
In the new study, researchers passed water through two ion exchange membranes, one of which transported mainly protons of the positively charged ions and the other mainly of negatively charged ions, such as hydroxides, which act like a pair of 'chemical gates The researchers then used a laser irradiation system that allowed the photosensitive organic dye molecules to bind to the membrane, which in turn liberated the protons.These protons were then transported to the acidic side of the membrane to produce ion currents of up to 100 mV (Average 60 mV).
Although the achievable current level of the bi-membrane system is still its current major limitation, except for the occasional occasional over 100 mV threshold, the photovoltaic voltage must be amplified to 200 mV for desalination, The goal is very optimistic. "Knowing the nature of water, we can better design these bipolar membrane interfaces to maximize voltage and current," said Ardo.
In the long run, seawater desalination is just one of the applications developed by researchers to synthesize light-driven proton pumps, and it may also be used to connect electronic devices to signal brain-computer interfaces and even to those that incorporate living tissue and artificial circuits 'Artificial cells' provide energy.
