title: A High Power-Density, Mediator-Free, Microfluidic Biophotovoltaic Device for Cyanobacterial Cells.
abstract: Biophotovoltaics has emerged as a promising technology for generating renewable energy because it relies on living organisms as inexpensive, self-repairing, and readily available catalysts to produce electricity from an abundant resource: sunlight. The efficiency of biophotovoltaic cells, however, has remained significantly lower than that achievable through synthetic materials. Here, a platform is devised to harness the large power densities afforded by miniaturized geometries. To this effect, a soft-lithography approach is developed for the fabrication of microfluidic biophotovoltaic devices that do not require membranes or mediators.Synechocystis sp.PCC 6803 cells are injected and allowed to settle on the anode, permitting the physical proximity between cells and electrode required for mediator-free operation. Power densities of above 100 mW m-2are demonstrated for a chlorophyll concentration of 100 μM under white light, which is a high value for biophotovoltaic devices without extrinsic supply of additional energy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bombelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
authors.forename: Therese W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Herling
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK.
authors.forename: Tuomas P J
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Knowles
keywords: bioenergy; biophotovoltaic devices; cyanobacteria; microfluidics