MIT Creates an Artificial Super Leaf

MIT students created an alternate energy source in the form of an artificial "super leaf."

About every week, you hear on the news about how energy costs are rising and eventually everthing will run out. However, some people are trying to change everything. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology created an alternate form of energy. The cool part about it? It's a leaf! Well, rather it's more like a green material created into any shape or size, but leaf-like designs are the most appealing forms discovered so far. Does this mean that Mother Nature has finally joined the digital age?

A long story short, with added sunlight, this material can divide water molecules and produce gaseous H₂ and O₂ that release from opposite sides of the leaf. It's like photosynthesis on steroids. Scientists can then gather the gases and place them all in a fuel cell and saved for later. Sun Catalytix, the company in charge of marketing and research for the leaves, is studying how many ways to use this new technology from MIT.

Is it possible that one day buildings powered by leaves could be normal? MIT truly made the "incredible, inedible leaf" as one commenter posted on TechCrunch.

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