RCA Student Invents Artificial Leaf that Can Produce Oxygen

[Cliffy]

RCA Student Invents Artificial Leaf that Can Produce Oxygen

The synthetic material can photosynthesize and survive at zero gravity, creating new opportunities for space exploration
Vashti Hallissey

The Silk Leaf, by RCA graduate Julian Melchiorri, is the first manmade material that can perform photosynthesis. It has huge implications for science and technology and it could also make long-distance space travel a possibility.
The leaf contains chloroplasts taken from real plant cells. These are suspended in a silk protein material and when the material comes into contact with water and light, it converts it to oxygen, just like a natural leaf.
Melchiorri explains in a video made for Dezeen and MINI Frontiers:

The material is extracted directly from the fibers of silk. This material has an amazing property of stabilizing molecules. I extracted chloroplasts from plant cells and placed them inside this silk protein. As an outcome I have the first photosynthetic material that is living and breathing as a leaf does.


RCA Student Invents Artificial Leaf that Can Produce Oxygen - PSFK

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[Curious Cdn]

Ahh, yes but how well does it smoke?

 

[damngrumpy]

Maybe artificial plants can eat the CO2's and we can go back to our old ways

 

[darkbeaver]

That's amazing. Where does the "zero gravity" come from? In the physical universe gravity cannot be zero. I think the writer meant low gravity.

 

[Cannuck]

That's amazing. Where does the "zero gravity" come from? In the physical universe gravity cannot be zero. I think the writer meant low gravity.

Yes, I'm guessing the writer (and his target audience) are not as **** as you.

I'm assuming it's using carbon dioxide? It can't be creating oxygen out of nothing.

 

[darkbeaver]

Yes, I'm guessing the writer (and his target audience) are not as **** as you.

I'm assuming it's using carbon dioxide? It can't be creating oxygen out of nothing.

You're right he mentions that in the first thirty seconds of the video. I wonder why that wasn't mentioned in the OP?

You're right he mentions that in the first thirty seconds of the video. I wonder why that wasn't mentioned in the OP?

So any space travel will be limited by the charge of CO2 and oxygen and water carried on the spaceship.

And grow lights.

 

[Cliffy]

So any space travel will be limited by the charge of CO2 and oxygen and water carried on the spaceship.

And grow lights.

That is right. Space travel would be so boring without a little mind candy.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

You're right he mentions that in the first thirty seconds of the video. I wonder why that wasn't mentioned in the OP?



So any space travel will be limited by the charge of CO2 and oxygen and water carried on the spaceship.

And grow lights.

Presumably some humans will go with and they will no doubt produce all the necessary CO2. Probably consume the produced O2. I think that any long distance space travel will have to be a self contained biosphere which will maintain itself rather than 'tanks of what is needed' mentality.