28-Jun-2017 - US Naval Research Lab

NRL issued patent for solar microbial fuel cell




"Natural photosynthetic systems, such as trees and algae blooms, self-repair, a property that makes them highly durable," said Dr. Lenny Tender, research chemist, Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering. "Here, we incorporate photosynthetic organisms with the self-assembling and self-maintaining benthic microbial fuel cell (BMFC) to enable durable land-based photoelectrochemical solar cells."


"Microorganisms harvested from sea water in shallow coastal environments, in relatively low abundance, become enriched when the cell is sealed due to the accumulation of carbon dioxide and depletion of oxygen in the overlying water," Tender said. "These organisms use sunlight to convert the electrode products to glucose and oxygen, which can be re-utilized in the electrode reactions eliminating the need for a constant flux of new glucose and oxygen."


The SMFC can be 'stacked' in series to increase voltage and can power any device that currently uses a conventional photovoltaic power supply. However, work is underway to understand the limiting factors.

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  • artificial photosynthesis
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