Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card，scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries.“One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology，”said Nocera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.

　　The artificial leaf is not a new idea.The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use.The new leaf，by contrast，is made of cheap materials，easy to use and highly stable.In laboratory studies，Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prototype(原型)could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.

　　The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful，new and inexpensive catalysts.These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight.Right now，the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one.Besides，the device can run in whatever water is available；that is，it doesn't need pure water.This is important for some countries that don't have access to pure water.

　　With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “give energy to the poor”，scientists believe that the new technology could be widely used in developing countries，especially in India and rural China.

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