Photo-bioelectrochemical cells used to develop new way of turning solar energy into electrical power

According to a study published in the journal Nature Energy, a new paradigm for the development of photo-bioelectrochemical cells is developed by researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in Israel, and the University of Bochum, in Germany. This design of photo-bioelectrochemical cells is based on native photosynthetic reaction, and it is considered as a means for the conversion of solar light energy into electrical power and attracts substantial recent interest.

Photosynthetic reaction is coupled to biocatalytic transformations resulting in CO2 fixation and O2 evolution. Although the integration of native photosystems with electrodes for light-to-electrical energy conversion has been successful, the conjugation of the photosystems to enzymes to yield photo-bioelectrocatalytic solar cells is still a problem.

Recently, researchers shows the construction of photo-bioelectrochemical cells using the native photosynthetic reaction and the enzymes glucose oxidase or glucose dehydrogenase in a new report. The system consists of modified integrated electrodes that introduce the natural photosynthetic reaction center which is known as photosystem I, conjugated to the enzymes glucose oxidase or glucose dehydrogenase. The native proteins are electrically wired by means of chemical electron transfer mediators. Photoirradiation of the electrodes leads to the generation of electrical power, while oxidizing the glucose substrate acting as a fuel.

A model is provided by this system to harness the native photosynthetic apparatus for the conversion of solar light energy into electrical power, using biomass substrates as fuels. On the contrary, this study introduces the implementation of the native photosystem to produce electrical power using light as the energy source. The results of the study offer a general way of assembling photo-bioelectrochemical solar cells with wide implications for bioelectrocatalysis sensing, and solar energy conversion.

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