Engineering a Robust Photovoltaic Device with Quantum Dots and Bacteriorhodopsin.
We present a route toward a radical improvement in solar cell efficiency using resonant energy transfer and sensitization of semiconductor metal oxides with a light-harvesting quantum dot (QD)/bacteriorhodopsin (bR) layer designed by protein engineering. The specific aims of our approach are (1) controlled engineering of highly ordered bR/QD complexes; (2) replacement of the liquid electrolyte by a thin layer of gold; (3) highly oriented deposition of bR/QD complexes on a gold layer; and (4) use of the Forster resonance energy transfer coupling between bR and QDs to achieve an efficient absorbing layer for dye-sensitized solar cells. This proposed approach is based on the unique optical characteristics of QDs, on the photovoltaic properties of bR, and on state-of-the-art nanobioengineering technologies. It permits spatial and optical coupling together with control of hybrid material components on the bionanoscale. This method paves the way to the development of the solid-state photovoltaic device with the efficiency increased to practical levels.
Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School , 4 Blackfan Circle, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States ; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
Venkatesan
V
Renugopalakrishnan
Department of Physics, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.
Bernardo
B
Barbiellini
Department of Mathematics, Northeastern University , 567 Lake Hall, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.
Chris
C
King
Laboratoire de Recherche en Nanosciences, LRN-EA4682, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne , 51100 Reims, France.
Michael
M
Molinari
Laboratory of Nano-Bioengineering, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI "Moscow Engineering Physics Institute" , 31 Kashirskoe shosse, 115409 Moscow, Russian Federation.
Konstantin
K
Mochalov
Laboratoire de Recherche en Nanosciences, LRN-EA4682, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne , 51100 Reims, France ; Laboratory of Nano-Bioengineering, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI "Moscow Engineering Physics Institute" , 31 Kashirskoe shosse, 115409 Moscow, Russian Federation.
Alyona
A
Sukhanova
Laboratoire de Recherche en Nanosciences, LRN-EA4682, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne , 51100 Reims, France ; Laboratory of Nano-Bioengineering, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI "Moscow Engineering Physics Institute" , 31 Kashirskoe shosse, 115409 Moscow, Russian Federation.
Igor
I
Nabiev
Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, Aalborg University , Skjernvej 4, 9220 Aalborg Ø, Denmark.
Peter
P
Fojan
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
Harry L
HL
Tuller
Langmuir Center for Colloids and Interfaces, Columbia University , 500 West 120th Street, New York, New York 10027, United States.
Michael
M
Chin
Langmuir Center for Colloids and Interfaces, Columbia University , 500 West 120th Street, New York, New York 10027, United States.
Ponisseril
P
Somasundaran
Unitat de Biofísica, Departament de Bioquímica i de Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Medicina, and Centre d'Estudios en Biofísica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona , Barcelona, Spain.
Esteve
E
Padrós
NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, National University of Singapore , 2 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576, Singapore.
Seeram
S
Ramakrishna