Abstract
During the last few years, intensive research efforts have been directed toward the application of several highly efficient light-harvesting photosynthetic proteins, including reaction centers (RCs), photosystem I (PSI), and photosystem II (PSII), as key components in the light-triggered generation of fuels or electrical power. This review highlights recent advances for the nano-engineering of photo-bioelectrochemical cells through the assembly of the photosynthetic proteins on electrode surfaces. Various strategies to immobilize the photosynthetic complexes on conductive surfaces and different methodologies to electrically wire them with the electrode supports are presented. The different photoelectrochemical systems exhibit a wide range of photocurrent intensities and power outputs that sharply depend on the nano-engineering strategy and the electroactive components. Such cells are promising candidates for a future production of biologically-driven solar power.
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Abbreviations
- A:
-
Acceptor
- BOD:
-
Bilirubin oxidase
- CNT:
-
Carbon nanotube
- cyt:
-
Cytochrome
- D:
-
Donor
- DCPIP:
-
2,6-Dichlorophenolindophenol
- DSSC:
-
Dye-sensitized solar cell
- ET:
-
Electron transfer
- FTO:
-
Fluorine-doped tin oxide
- ITO:
-
Indium tin oxide
- LH1:
-
Light-harvesting 1 pigment protein
- LHC:
-
Light-harvesting complexes
- MV2+ :
-
N,N′-Dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium, methyl viologen
- NC:
-
Nanocluster
- NHE:
-
Normal hydrogen electrode
- NP:
-
Nanoparticle
- NTA:
-
Nitrilo triacetic acid
- NQS:
-
1,4-Naphthoquinone-2-sulfonate
- PC:
-
Plastocyanine
- pMBQ:
-
Poly-mercapto benzoquinone
- PSI:
-
Photosystem I
- PSII:
-
Photosystem II
- RC:
-
Reaction center
- SCE:
-
Standard calomel electrode
- SWCNT:
-
Single-walled carbon nanotube
- TMPD:
-
N,N,N′,N′-Tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine
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Acknowledgments
The support of the photo-bioelectrochemical project by the Minerva Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. O.Y. acknowledges the Levi Eshkol fellowship, The Ministry of Science and Technology, Israel.
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Yehezkeli, O., Tel-Vered, R., Michaeli, D. et al. Photosynthetic reaction center-functionalized electrodes for photo-bioelectrochemical cells. Photosynth Res 120, 71–85 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-013-9796-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-013-9796-3