文章大意:本文是一篇新闻报道。文章主要报道了利用森林产品制作电子产品的科技新闻,介绍了研究人员利用木材中的纤维素和木质素,开发出新的基于木质素的电池,并探讨了这种电池的原理和未来应用前景。
People tend to use trees for papermaking. But maybe electronics (电子) engineers are missing out on something here. “It turns out that two major building blocks of wood have a lot of electrical qualities,” says Magnus Berggren, a professor at Linköping University.
His team has been working to make parts for electronics from the forest. Right now, they’re focusing on two materials of trees. The first material is cellulose, which can make energy. Lignin, the second material, can store that energy, just as a battery does. The team has found when pressed, cellulose can produce electricity.
Some device must then store the electricity until it’s needed. Batteries can do this. But batteries aren’t very green. They have harmful materials. That’s where lignin comes in.
Batteries cause electrons to flow from one place to another, which can produce electricity. In a typical battery, one material must give electrons. The other must accept them. Lignin can do both. A weak acid (酸) encourages lignin to produce electrons. “With a metal wire (金属线) to guide those electrons, you’ll have electricity,” says Berggren.
Berggren’s team use this quality to create its new lignin-based battery. Typical batteries use a metal wire as a path to guide the flow of electrons into or out of the device. But since Berggren wants to make a battery of the forest, he looks for a natural way. Once again, he turns to cellulose.
This natural material can serve as a wire-like path for electrons. To make it work well, Berggren lines them with another chemical known as PEDOT, which isn’t from a tree. But when PEDOT is added to cellulose, they can conduct electricity like a wire. “With a weak acid, now you have a battery,” Berggren says. “And two of its three materials come from the forest.”
Berggren can imagine one day having mobile phone batteries made largely from forest products. Tree-based electronics might also be useful in lighting.
12. What is cellulose used to do in the study?
A.Act as a weak acid. | B.Collect rainwater. |
C.Produce electricity. | D.Make quality paper. |
13. Which best describes the new battery?
A.Well-received. | B.Eco-friendly. | C.Harmful. | D.Heavy. |
14. What can we expect of tree-based electronics?
A.They may change farming practices. | B.They might save a lot of wood. |
C.They would serve the elderly. | D.They could light the rooms. |
15. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.A Green Way to Make and Store Energy | B.An Attempt to Raise Power Production |
C.Practical Suggestions on Planting Trees | D.Recent Advances in Mobile Phones |