More than 150 naturally occurring
types exist, most
of which are not pure and are contaminated to
varying degrees by other minerals,
metals and quartz, as well as the aluminum.
So far, biohybrid cells have produced
varying amounts
of power, usually far below what a conventional photovoltaic cell can, but the Vanderbuilt team found that coupling the PS1 with silicon created a high performing biohybrid cell, capable
of producing two to three times more power than previously reported for a biohybrid cell and current levels that are 1,000 times higher than PS1 combined with various
types of metals.