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Tuning the photocurrent generations from photosystem I assembled in tailored biotic-abiotic interfaces

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Abstract

Rational design of bio-hybrid photovoltaic and/or optoelectronic devices requires systematic electrochemical characterizations of photosystem I (PSI), the photosynthetic membrane protein, assembled onto tailored biotic-abiotic interfaces. This work communicates our research findings on the role of PSI microenvironment alterations at organic/inorganic interfaces, via biomimetic lipid membrane confinements and plasmonic coupling with Ag nano-pyramid structures, in tuning the photoactivated charge separation and photocurrent generations from surface-assembled PSI. The observed photocurrent enhancements and the associated mechanistic insights from this study will facilitate the future design of tailored interfaces that can optimally tune the photoactivity and photostability of PSI in solid-state bioelectronics.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the University of Tennessee Bioanalytical Resources Facility for instrument use and Dr Edward Wright for scientific and technical assistance. The authors thank Dr Graham J. Taylor for helping them preparing the liposome suspension. This work was funded in part by the Sustainable Energy Education and Research Center (SEERC) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the Gibson Family Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sustainable Energy Education and Research Center (SEERC), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA

    Hanieh Niroomand

  2. Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering; Nano-BioMaterials Laboratory for Energy, Energetics & Environment (nbml-E3), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Ravi Pamu

  3. Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Nano-BioMaterials Laboratory for Energy, Energetics & Environment (nbml-E3); Sustainable Energy Education and Research Center (SEERC), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Dibyendu Mukherjee

  4. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering; Sustainable Energy Education and Research Center (SEERC), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Bamin Khomami

Authors
  1. Hanieh Niroomand
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  2. Ravi Pamu
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  3. Dibyendu Mukherjee
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  4. Bamin Khomami
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Dibyendu Mukherjee or Bamin Khomami.

Additional information

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Supplementary material

The supplementary material for this article can be found at {rs|https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2018.83|url|}

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Niroomand, H., Pamu, R., Mukherjee, D. et al. Tuning the photocurrent generations from photosystem I assembled in tailored biotic-abiotic interfaces. MRS Communications 8, 823–829 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2018.83

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2018.83

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