Research Article
Energy Conversion in Protocells with Natural Nanoconductors
Table 1
The calculated electrogenic performance of three cell types: the natural electrocyte, and the optimized protocell with AC output, and the optimized protocell with DC output.
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*: The energy densities of these two cells are estimated based on simulations of one hour continuous output; but the actual energy densities may be even larger with enough ATP supplied; Electrophorus electricus can generate low-level action potentials for hours without any sign of exhaustion [80, 81]. †: The protocell designed for DC output can reach an energy conversion efficiency of 48%; but this configuration has impractically low energy density ( J·m−3 W·h·kg−1). This protocell designed for maximum energy density ( J·m−3, i.e., 1.92 W·h·kg−1) has an energy conversion efficiency of 10%. |