What will they think of next at MIT? One of the major problems with solar panels is their limited lifespan. This may help extend that and make it a much more viable solution. BBC:
Researchers have demonstrated tiny solar cells just billionths of a metre across that can repair themselves, extending their useful lifetime.
The cells make use of proteins from the machinery of plants, turning sunlight into electric charges that can do work.
The cells simply assemble themselves from a mixture of the proteins, minute tubes of carbon and other materials.
The self-repairing mechanism, reported in Nature Chemistry, could lead to much longer-lasting solar cells.
