Snail teeth inspire better solar cells and batteries. The teeth of marine snails are being used to create improved solar cells and lithium-ion batteries.
Close examination of the teeth of the gumboot chiton -- sometimes referred to as the wandering meatloaf -- has led to a better understanding of how biominerals such as magnetite can be generated at room temperature. Being able to manipulate this magnetite growth is key to the solar cell and battery improvements. David Kisailus, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of California, Riverside detailed the process by which the snails continuously build a conveyor belt of these magnetite teeth which is then used to rasp algae from rocks.
First, hydrated iron oxide crystals begin to grow on a complex sugar template. ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Consumer products often are manufactured in quantities numbering in the millions.
From their factory production to their disposal, products can have enormous downsides for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soils we cultivate. As a result, InnovationSpace is committed to exploring new methodologies for sustainable product innovation. One of the most promising is the emerging discipline of biomimicry. Lifesprinciples. Ask Nature.