09-21-2004, 09:00 AM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Popeye's Spinach Powered Pocket PC?
"For the first time, MIT researchers have incorporated a plant's ability to convert sunlight to energy into a solid-state electronic "spinach sandwich" device that may one day power laptops and cell phones. At the heart of the device is a protein complex dubbed Photosystem I (PSI). Derived from spinach chloroplasts, PSI is 10 to 20 nanometers wide. Around 100,000 of them would fit on the head of a pin. "They are the smallest electronic circuits I know of," said researcher Marc A. Baldo, assistant professor of electronic engineering and computer science at MIT. Baldo and other researchers �. collaborated on the world's first solid-state photosynthetic solar cell "
Now that is interesting. Combining biological and non-biological materials in one device has not been possible before now as the salt and water which the biological materials require, are not exactly good news for electronics. A reliable, efficient solid-state solar cell would be real boon for all mobile devices. Imagine having your case made from these cells. You may never need to recharge your PPC again! The cells are still in the early research phase and the scientists hope to achieve a very efficient power conversion efficiency of 20 percent or more by stacking layers of this material, or by making tiny 3-D structures.
So, your mother was right, your greens are good for you! Ironic that spinach was chosen. It looks like Popeye was on to something. The overclocking and modding potential are enormous. Anyone for moving to California to play with alternative powers sources? Are pineapple & papaya powered PDAs possible? Just as long as they don't make a lemon. :wink: I wonder if an apple powered PPC will prove more palatable to some folks. So, solar spinach sandwich anyone? :mrgreen:
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