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SubscribeBreakthrough in using sunlight to split water
Angela Belcher, the Germeshausen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering, demonstrates a virus-templated catalyst solution used in harnessing energy from water. (Photo: Dominick Reuter)
Article Summary
A team of MIT researchers has managed to mimic the photosynthetic process in plants by engineering M13, a simple and harmless virus, to help splitting water into its two atomic components, hydrogen and oxygen, using sunlight. The researchers hope this is the first step toward using sunlight to create hydrogen reserves that could then be used to generate electricity or even produce liquid fuels for transportation.
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