Blue algae bacteria are printed as ink and made into a biosolar solar panel.

British researchers have announced a breakthrough in the field of biosolar cell science, using cyanobacteria as ink and printing them like ordinary printons onto conductive carbon nanotubes to make a biosolar panel.
the biosolar panels can generate electricity at the same time during the day and at night, eliminating the dependence of conventional solar cells on sunlight.
the device can be biodegradable, making it an ideal disposable solar cell. "Cheap, accessible, environmentally friendly, non-heavy metals or plastic biodegradable batteries, all of which are what we need and our environment, and our research shows that this technology is perfectly sustainable," says Marin Sawa of Imperial College of
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"cyanobacteria is an important organism for all inhabitants of the planet, including us humans.
they are photosynthesis organisms that have lived on Earth for billions of years.
2.45 billion years ago, organisms had to rely on sulfates for the energy they needed.
but during the great oxidation event, oxygen became an important component of the Earth's atmosphere for the first time, suggesting that cyanobacteria had begun to use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make sugar and oxygen.
(NetEase Editor's Note: The Great Oxidation Event, which refers to the sudden increase in free oxygen levels in the atmosphere about 2.6 billion years ago, the exact cause of which has not yet been identified) Sawa and colleagues have now shown that cyanobacteria can be used as an ink, and that it can be printed on conductive carbon nanotubes using a common inkjet printer.
these carbon nanotubes can be printed again onto a piece of paper and etched out a simple battery.
the bacteria survive these processes and continue to supply 100 hours of electricity continuously in cycles during day and night.
but they don't generate much electricity, and nine connected solar cells can power digital clocks or LED flashes.
but enough is enough for applications such as disposable environmental sensors dressed up as wallpapers or paper sensors for monitoring diabetics.
biosolar technology that uses cyanobacteria or algae to turn light into electricity is not really being used.
cost, low output and short life are barriers to large-scale industrial applications of this technology.
but British researchers claim that their invention of inkjet printing has confirmed the potential of large-scale application of the technology. Co-author of the
study, Dr Andrea Fantuzzi of the School of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, said: "Paper solar cell technology is not intended to replace traditional solar cell technology in the large-scale power generation industry, but can be used as a way of supplying electricity that can be handled and biodegraded at will.
their low output means they are better suited to environments where energy demand is low, such as environmental sensors and biosensors.
"The current paper biosolar unit is only the size of a palm.
next step, the research team will conduct a proof of concept on A4-sized paper to determine that a larger power output can be achieved.
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