加拿大康科迪亞大學(xué)近期的一項(xiàng)發(fā)明使人們朝著新能源的方向又邁進(jìn)了一步。 據(jù)美國化學(xué)日志上報(bào)道，科學(xué)家們可以把一種形狀酷似電池的生化酶通過光合作用而儲(chǔ)藏能量的時(shí)間從數(shù)秒延長至幾小時(shí)。
Concordia Associate Professor László Kálmán -- along with his colleagues in the Department of Physics, graduate students Sasmit Deshmukh and Kai Tang -- has been working with an enzyme found in bacteria that is crucial for capturing solar energy. Light induces a charge separation in the enzyme, causing one end to become negatively charged and the other positively charged, much like in a battery.
康大學(xué)的副教授László Kálmán，和他在物理系的同事Sasmit Deshmukh 和Kai Tang，共同從一種生化酶中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種對(duì)于貯存太陽能至關(guān)重要的細(xì)菌。太陽光導(dǎo)致這種生化酶分成兩種電荷，一端是陰極，一端是陽極，這種構(gòu)造和電池很相近。
In nature, the energy created is used immediately, but Kálmán says that to store that electrical potential, he and his colleagues had to find a way to keep the enzyme in a charge-separated state for a longer period of time.
在自然界中，能量一旦產(chǎn)生，就會(huì)立刻被消耗掉。但是為了捕獲上述電能，Kálmán和他的同事必須保持兩級(jí)分化的生化酶在較長的一段時(shí)間里處于穩(wěn)定狀態(tài)。
"We had to create a situation where the charges don't want to or are not allowed to go back, and that's what we did in this study," says Kálmán.
Kálmán.說：“我們?cè)谶@項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)里就是負(fù)責(zé)制造一種狀態(tài)。在這種狀態(tài)里，電極不愿或不能回到原來的狀態(tài)。”
Kálmán and his colleagues showed that by adding different molecules, they were able to alter the shape of the enzyme and, thus, extend the lifespan of its electrical potential.
In its natural configuration, the enzyme is perfectly embedded in the cell's outer layer, known as the lipid membrane. The enzyme's structure allows it to quickly recombine the charges and recover from a charge-separated state.
Kálmán和他的同事們向人們展示，通過往活性酶里添加不同的分子，他們可以改變活性酶的形狀，并最終延長其電能的壽命。自然狀態(tài)下，活性酶恰好鑲嵌在細(xì)胞的外層中，這種結(jié)構(gòu)被稱為脂質(zhì)膜。脂質(zhì)膜能和電荷很快重新組合，并在電荷分級(jí)的狀態(tài)下盡快恢復(fù)。
However, when different lipid molecules make up the membrane, as in Kaman’s experiments, there is a mismatch between the shape of the membrane and the enzyme embedded within it. Both the enzyme and the membrane end up changing their shapes to find a good fit. The changes make it more difficult for the enzyme to recombine the charges, thereby allowing the electrical potential to last much longer.
但是，在Kálmán的實(shí)驗(yàn)中，當(dāng)不同的脂質(zhì)膜分子共同組成薄膜時(shí)，薄膜和鑲嵌其中的脂質(zhì)膜的形狀不相符合，兩者就會(huì)共同努力地改變各自的形狀，以達(dá)到相符的狀態(tài)。而這種變化使得活性酶更難去重調(diào)其中的電荷了，所以也就使得電能持續(xù)了更長的時(shí)間。
"What we're doing is similar to placing a racecar in on snow-covered streets," says Kálmán. The surrounding conditions prevent the racecar from performing as it would on a racetrack, just like the different lipids prevent the enzyme from recombining the charges as efficiently as it does under normal circumstances.
“我們所做的正像在布滿雪的街道上放置一輛賽車。”Kálmán.解釋說，周邊的環(huán)境使得這輛賽車不能像在賽車車道上自由行駛。活性酶中的各種脂肪同樣使得其中的電荷不能像在正常情況下那樣有效地重組。
Photosynthesis, which has existed for billions of years, is one of the earliest energy-converting systems. "All of our food, our energy sources (gasoline, coal) -- everything is a product of some ancient photosynthetic activity," says Kálmán.
光合作用， 作為最古老的能量轉(zhuǎn)換系統(tǒng)， 已經(jīng)在宇宙中存在幾十億年了。Kálmán 說：“我們所有的食物，我們的能量來源（包括汽油和煤炭）---每一件都是古老的光合作用的產(chǎn)物。”
But he adds that the main reason researchers are turning to these ancient natural systems is because they are carbon neutral and use resources that are in abundance: sun, carbon dioxide and water. Researchers are using nature's battery to inspire more sustainable, human-made energy converting systems.
他說，研究者們之所以把目光轉(zhuǎn)向了這個(gè)古老的系統(tǒng)，是因?yàn)樗奶贾泻鸵约皝碓簇S富的緣故。（太陽，二氧化碳和水都是其來源）換言之， 研究者們正在用自然界的電池來創(chuàng)造更過可持續(xù)發(fā)展的，人造的能量轉(zhuǎn)換系統(tǒng)。
For a peek into the future of these technologies, Kálmán points to medical applications and biocompatible batteries. Imagine batteries made of enzymes and other biological molecules. These could be used to, for example, monitor a patient from the inside post-surgery. Unlike traditional batteries that contain toxic metals, biocompatible batteries could be left inside the body without causing harm.
Kálmán 指出，醫(yī)學(xué)應(yīng)用和生物相溶的電池是上述科技的未來其發(fā)展方向。想象有生化酶和其它生物分子制成的電池的應(yīng)用情景吧。比如說，他們可以用在手術(shù)后的病人的體內(nèi)。和傳統(tǒng)的含金屬毒物的電池不同，生物相溶的電池毫無害處地留在人體內(nèi)用以觀察病情的變化。
"We're far from that right now but these devices are currently being explored and developed," says Kálmán. "We have to take things step by step but, hopefully, we'll get there one day in the not-too-distant future."
“我們距離上述的暢想還是有一段距離的。但是人們現(xiàn)在正在研究和發(fā)展上述這些裝置。”Kálmán 說，“我們做事得按部就班。但是希望是，我們能在不久的將來實(shí)現(xiàn)這一構(gòu)想。”
This research was funded by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Kálmán和他的同事們所做的這項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)由加拿大自然科學(xué)和工程研究所贊助完成。
