TY - JOUR
T1 - A bacteriorhodopsin-based biohybrid solar cell using carbon-based electrolyte and cathode components
AU - Espinoza-Araya, Christopher
AU - Starbird, Ricardo
AU - Prasad, E. Senthil
AU - Renugopalakrishnan, Venkatesan
AU - Mulchandani, Ashok
AU - Bruce, Barry D.
AU - Villarreal, Claudia C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/11/1
Y1 - 2023/11/1
N2 - There is currently a high demand for energy production worldwide, mainly producing renewable and sustainable energy. Bio-sensitized solar cells (BSCs) are an excellent option in this field due to their optical and photoelectrical properties developed in recent years. One of the biosensitizers that shows promise in simplicity, stability and quantum efficiency is bacteriorhodopsin (bR), a photoactive, retinal-containing membrane protein. In the present work, we have utilized a mutant of bR, D96N, in a photoanode-sensitized TiO2 solar cell, integrating low-cost, carbon-based components, including a cathode composed of PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) functionalized with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and a hydroquinone/benzoquinone (HQ/BQ) redox electrolyte. The photoanode and cathode were characterized morphologically and chemically (SEM, TEM, and Raman). The electrochemical performance of the bR-BSCs was investigated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), open circuit potential decay (VOC), and impedance spectroscopic analysis (EIS). The champion device yielded a current density (JSC) of 1.0 mA/cm2, VOC of −669 mV, a fill factor of ~24 %, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.16 %. This bR device is one of the first bio-based solar cells utilizing carbon-based alternatives for the photoanode, cathode, and electrolyte. This may decrease the cost and significantly improve the device's sustainability.
AB - There is currently a high demand for energy production worldwide, mainly producing renewable and sustainable energy. Bio-sensitized solar cells (BSCs) are an excellent option in this field due to their optical and photoelectrical properties developed in recent years. One of the biosensitizers that shows promise in simplicity, stability and quantum efficiency is bacteriorhodopsin (bR), a photoactive, retinal-containing membrane protein. In the present work, we have utilized a mutant of bR, D96N, in a photoanode-sensitized TiO2 solar cell, integrating low-cost, carbon-based components, including a cathode composed of PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) functionalized with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and a hydroquinone/benzoquinone (HQ/BQ) redox electrolyte. The photoanode and cathode were characterized morphologically and chemically (SEM, TEM, and Raman). The electrochemical performance of the bR-BSCs was investigated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), open circuit potential decay (VOC), and impedance spectroscopic analysis (EIS). The champion device yielded a current density (JSC) of 1.0 mA/cm2, VOC of −669 mV, a fill factor of ~24 %, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.16 %. This bR device is one of the first bio-based solar cells utilizing carbon-based alternatives for the photoanode, cathode, and electrolyte. This may decrease the cost and significantly improve the device's sustainability.
KW - Bacteriorhodopsin
KW - Bio-sensitized solar cell
KW - Carbon nanotubes
KW - PEDOT
KW - Quinone
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161638123&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bbabio.2023.148985
DO - 10.1016/j.bbabio.2023.148985
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 37236292
AN - SCOPUS:85161638123
SN - 0005-2728
VL - 1864
JO - Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics
JF - Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics
IS - 4
M1 - 148985
ER -
