title: Large photocurrent response and external quantum efficiency in biophotoelectrochemical cells incorporating reaction center plus light harvesting complexes.
abstract: Bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) are promising materials for solar energy harvesting, due to their high ratio of photogenerated electrons to absorbed photons and long recombination time of generated charges. In this work, photoactive electrodes were prepared from a bacterial RC-light-harvesting 1 (LH1) core complex, where the RC is encircled by the LH1 antenna, to increase light capture. A simple immobilization method was used to prepare RC-LH1 photoactive layer. Herein, we demonstrate that the combination of pretreatment of the RC-LH1 protein complexes with quinone and the immobilization method results in biophotoelectrochemical cells with a large peak transient photocurrent density and photocurrent response of 7.1 and 3.5 μA cm(-2), respectively. The current study with monochromatic excitation showed maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) and photocurrent density of 0.21% and 2 μA cm(-2), respectively, with illumination power of ∼6 mW cm(-2) at ∼875 nm, under ambient conditions. This work provides new directions to higher performance biophotoelectrochemical cells as well as possibly other applications of this broadly functional photoactive material.
authors: †Bio/Organic Electronics Lab, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States.
authors: Houman
authors: H
authors: Yaghoubi
authors: ‡Soft Semiconducting Materials and Devices Lab, Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States.
authors: Evan
authors: E
authors: Lafalce
authors: §Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Jun
authors: ‡Soft Semiconducting Materials and Devices Lab, Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States.
authors: Xiaomei
authors: X
authors: Jiang
authors: §Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
authors: J Thomas
authors: JT
authors: Beatty
authors: †Bio/Organic Electronics Lab, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States.
authors: Arash
authors: A
authors: Takshi
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D016227:Benzoquinones / Q000737:chemistry; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D004560:Electricity; D004566:Electrodes; D055767:Immobilized Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D012242:Rhodobacter sphaeroides / Q000201:enzymology; D013472:Sunlight
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D016227:Benzoquinones; D055767:Immobilized Proteins; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; C094744:light-harvesting complex 1, Rhodospirillum; C004532:quinone