📌 TOPINDIATOURS Breaking ai: Fossil fuel replacement: Sustainable solar fuels coul

Scientists from Sweden have overcome a major challenge, and their work could help develop sustainable solar fuels. Researchers revealed that if solar energy can be used more efficiently using iron-based systems, this could pave the way for cheaper solar fuels.

“We can now see previously hidden mechanisms that would allow iron-based molecules to transfer charge more efficiently to acceptor molecules,” says Lund University’s chemistry researcher Petter Persson.

“This could effectively remove one of the biggest obstacles to producing solar fuels using common metals.”

Solar energy stored in the form of fuel

Scientists hope that solar energy stored in the form of fuel could partially replace fossil fuels in the future.

Researchers revealed that to produce solar fuels such as green hydrogen, the light-absorbing molecules must transfer an electrical charge to an acceptor molecule.

If the transfer does not work well, much energy is lost before storing it in the solar fuel. Although iron is inexpensive and environmentally friendly, according to researchers, this problem has made it difficult to make iron-based systems work as efficiently as more expensive systems based on rare Earth metals.

Using advanced calculations, the researchers have now been able to analyze the process at the molecular level. The study shows that much energy is lost because the acceptor molecules often stick to the catalysts before the charge has time to transfer. However, the researchers discovered unexpected mechanisms whereby acceptor molecules can enlist the help of neighbouring molecules to complete the charge transfer, according to a press release.

Method can significantly reduce energy losses

Researchers believe this can significantly reduce energy losses and increase efficiency in iron-based solar energy systems.

“It was surprising that the surroundings play such a crucial role. Our simulations show several unexpected ways in which the interaction with neighbouring molecules can facilitate the formation of energy-rich products,” added Petter Persson.

Alternative to fossil fuels can play a key role in decarbonizing energy systems

Scientists believe this is an important step towards viable solar fuel production with common metals. The study shows how the crucial first step of charge separation can be optimised, but further steps are necessary before the process can lead to finished solar fuels.

Persson pointed out that the study provides new insights into how solar energy can be converted more efficiently using common metals such as iron. In the long run, this can contribute to developing cheaper and more sustainable solar fuels – an important piece of the puzzle in the global energy transition.

Solar fuels offer a sustainable, storable, and transportable alternative to fossil fuels, playing a key role in decarbonizing energy systems for transportation, heating, and industry by using existing infrastructure.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com

📌 TOPINDIATOURS Breaking ai: Deception scent: Japanese plant smells like injured a

For the first time ever, it has been documented that a plant mimics the smell of injured ants to attract flies for pollination.

This interesting evidence of floral mimicry has been observed in Vincetoxicum nakaianum, a newly described dogbane species native to Japan.

The University of Tokyo found that the flowers of this plant species release a scent that is almost identical to the odor of ants under attack by spiders. 

As the flies are drawn to the plant’s scent in search of food, they inadvertently pollinate the flowers.

Unexpected discovery

The discovery led by Ko Mochizuki was a result of a serendipitous observation.  

While working on a different project, he noticed chloropid flies swarming the flowers of Vincetoxicum nakaianum. 

Drawing on his previous knowledge of fly behavior and similar plant studies, he hypothesized that the flowers were mimicking injured insects.

“That moment, when I saw the flies on the flowers, was truly one of inspiration,” Mochizuki recalled in the press release. 

“A hypothesis suddenly taking shape. This experience taught me that unexpected discoveries often emerge from a combination of preparation and chance,” Mochizuki added.

Some flowers, much like freshly baked bread, use scent to attract their visitors, like grass flies.

The chloropid flies are drawn to the scent in search of an easy meal, and in the process of moving from flower to flower, they pollinate the plants. 

These flies typically feed on the fluids of injured ants, a phenomenon called kleptoparasitism.

Although ant mimicry has been observed in many other invertebrates, this is the first documented case of a plant using it to attract pollinators.

“Because ants are one of the most widespread species, and ant mimicry has independently evolved in many invertebrate species, it stands to reason that plants could have also evolved to mimic ants in one way or another,” the team noted.  

Organisms are known to mimic ants for protection and predation. Many predators avoid ants because they are unpalatable or aggressive. Interestingly, other species can deter these predators by mimicking ants.

In addition, some organisms use ant mimicry as camouflage to infiltrate ant colonies.

The study process

The researchers’ first step was to systematically observe what insects visited the flowers and then compare the flowers’ scent to the smells of various insects.

The initial research showed that the plant’s scent was a close match to that of ants attacked by spiders. However, there was no official scientific evidence that chloropid flies are attracted to injured ants. 

To strengthen his hypothesis, Ko Mochizuki turned to social media, where he found numerous amateur naturalists who had documented this exact phenomenon.

This unconventional evidence gave him the confidence to proceed with behavioral tests, which ultimately confirmed that the flies were more attracted to the smell of attacked ants than to other scents.

After this discovery, Mochizuki is already planning his next research project. 

He intends to study the evolution of ant mimicry by comparing Vincetoxicum nakaianum to its close relatives, focusing on their pollination systems, evolutionary history, and genetic makeup. 

The researcher also plans to expand his search for other examples of mimicry in different plant species, believing that many more forms of floral mimicry remain hidden, waiting to be discovered.

The findings are published in the journal Current Biology.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com