EUROPEAN Union-financed researchers at Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna) are using biological principles as the inspiration to develop a new bionic fuel cell.
Every living cell in our body can do it: covered with a thin membrane known as a cell membrane, or nano-membrane, the cells can deliberately let specific substances in and out.
Although it is thousands of times thinner than a human hair, this nano-membrane has an extremely complex structure and function.
Microscopic ducts convey water, electrical charges and nutrients around and, in doing so, create an equilibrium within the cell.
However, we still do not know about many of the functions and structural details as it is only the water and proton exchange that has been researched in depth.
“These extremely fine cell membrane ducts, with the ability to selectively convey protons, function in exactly the same way as fuel cells created by humans, only this naturally occurring process is considerably more efficient,” says one of the Vienna researchers, Dr Werner Brenner.
The Vienna project focuses on the design of the main component of every fuel cell – the membrane – with the intention of conveying protons more efficiently than in previous solutions.
The first results have been encouraging, although it is admitted that transferring learnings from the living cell will be hard.
Nature has been producing these structures for billions of years and their effectiveness can be seen in every living organism.
The challenge is to transfer the structure of these natural nanoducts to an artificial nano-membrane which is, itself, only a few hundred nanometres thick.
A wide range of scientific approaches is required for this project, ranging from solid-state physics and nanotechnology through to chemistry.
As a result, international co-operation between six universities, research institutes and businesses is an important part of the project.
The team is confident that the results of this project should have far-reaching significance.
And if it succeeds in creating the nanoducts exactly as planned, completely different fields of application will open up, such as the accurately controlled delivery of medicine, water desalination or even new types of sensors.
In this project, the boundaries between “artificial” and “natural” are becoming even more blurred.